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PilSTORY 



FIFTH REGIMENT 



Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, 



THREE YEARS AND A HALF OF SERVICE IN 
NORTH CAROLINA. 



January 1862— June 1S65. 



COMPILED UXDER, THE SUPERVISION OF 

r 

John Iv. Burlingaivie:. 



PROVIDENCE : 
SNOW & FARNHAM, 

Printers and Publishers, 
1892. 



COPYRIGHTED, 1S92, BY 

SNOW & FARNHAM, 

Providen'ce, R. I. 



fy'i^ 



Zo ©uv Scab. 



Wlfiettjer filling uriKrio^r] 

graves -wlriere tlr^eir orily reqilieiri 

is t]\e solerqri dirge of SoLltl)erri piries, 

or perriqitted to lie v^l^ere livirig con\rades n\ay 

rqaKe rqen\orial offerings to t]:\eir rqerit 

ar\d valor, t]:\is ^orK is rr\ost affec- 

tioriately iriscribed. 



PREFACE 



SOON after the close of the war, an association of the 
survivors of the Fifth Regiment was formed for the 
purpose of maintaining, by reunions and other social 
means, that feeling of comradeship and friendship, which nat- 
urally arose in the regiment during three years and a half of 
service in the field. Not long after this association was 
formed, the suggestion was made that the history of the regi- 
ment should be written. The proposition met with such gen- 
eral favor, that a historian was appointed. The difficulty of 
collecting the requisite data from such sources of information 
as were accessible, and the exigencies of an active business 
life, caused successive delays. 

It soon became apparent, that as time passed, the difficul- 
ties attending the preparation of such a history multipHed 
in a rapidly increasing ratio. Finally a Historical Commit- 
tee was proposed and appointed, and the members of the 
Regimental Association were appealed to for aid in collecting 
accounts of notable incidents and operations connected with 
the regiment, and also for substantial aid to have this infor- 
mation suitably compiled and published. From one cause or 
another this enterprise languished. A portion of a history 



VI FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 

was prepared and submitted to the Committee, but the neces- 
sities of business soon compelled the writer to change his 
residence to a distant city, and he returned to the Committee 
the records and manuscripts in his possession. The commit- 
tee thereupon dissolved by mutual consent, and thus this plan 
came to an untimely end. Feeling that there would never 
be any more available sources of information than existed 
now, the custodian of the records, comrade John K.Burlingame, 
at considerable personal expense determined to assume the 
responsibility and make the best possible use of them that 
was in his power to do. To this end he secured suitable 
assistance and commenced work. 

From day to day as the compilation progressed it was criti- 
cized and corrected. Comrades who were available, and even 
some living quite remote, were called in from time to time and 
their opinions asked, criticisms heeded and suggestions made 
use of. In this manner this work has been prepared. A strong 
feeling that it was best to preserve such records as were now in 
existence; a sincere desire to see this much of our history 
placed at an early period and in accessible form before our 
comrades, whose number will never be greater than now ; and 
an honest purpose in every instance, to impartially tell the 
story that was to be told, has actuated all who have been 
interested in this labor. 

One of the greatest misfortunes attending the preparation 
of this work has been the fact that so many of the members 
of the regiment have been so engrossed with other cares that 
they could not spare the time to write out sketches of the 
incidents that occurred within their personal knowledge, for 
use in this narrative. In this connection it is but simple jus- 



PREFACE. VU 

tice to state here, that the history now offered could not have 
been written but for the unselfish and gratuitous labor and 
continued assistance of our comrade, James Moran. We are 
also under great obligation to our comrades, Sylvester B. 
Hiscox, John Wright, Albert Potter, Christopher W. How- 
land, William H. Chenery, Dutee Johnson, Jr., William W. 
Douglas, James M. Wheaton, Benjamin L. Hall and others. 
Realizing its many shortcomings, and claiming only the 
merit of good intentions, this work is cheerfully submitted 
with the most fraternal feeling to the surviving members and 
friends of the Fifth Regiment of Rhode Island Heavy 
Artillery. j. k. b. 



At the twentieth Annual Reunion of the Fifth Rhode 
Island and Battery F Veteran Association, held at Silver 
Spring, on Friday, July 25, 1890, a Committee consisting of 
Comrades Colonel James Moran, Dr. Albert Potter, Joshua 
C. Drown, Jr., William H. Chenery, and Christopher W. 
Howland, was appointed to petition the General Assembly for 
an appropriation to assist the Committee to publish a history 
of the Fifth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery. 

The resolution appointing them was unanimously adopted 
by the Association. In compliance with the vote of the Asso- 
ciation, the Committee presented their petition to the Gen- 
eral Assembly. Accompanying this petition was a resolution 
requesting that the sum of $600 be appropriated to purchase 
200 copies of the history for the use of the State. 



VIU FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 

The Committee desire that the pubhcation of this history 
shall stand as a monument to the memory of Comrade Bur- 
lingame, whose perseverance under all difBculties in its prep- 
aration alone made it a success, and if living he would rejoice 
with us in the full fruition of his arduous labors. 

The Committee. 



^v-tr^ 




CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 

OrGAXIZATIOX.— To AXXAPOLIS, Md. 

General Burnside's Coast Division to be formed— Organization of 
tlie First Battalion, Fiftli Regiment, Rhode Island Volunteers— 
Camp Greene— Major John Wright assumes command — From 
Camp Greene to the Dexter Training Ground— Mustered into 
service — Roster of officers — Parade in Providence —Marching 
orders— Incidents in Jersey City — March through Baltimore- 
Arrival at Annapolis, Md., ...... 1-7 

CHAPTER II. 
From Axxapolis, Md., to Hatteras Ixlet. 

Camp Harris— Scenes at Annapolis— The first pay day— Embark on 
the "Kitty Simpson" — Fortress Monroe— Under sealed orders- 
Exciting encounter with a Union gunboat off Cape Hatteras in 
the night— Hatteras Inlet— Nature of the North Carolina coast— 
The Nortii Carolina Sounds— Nature of the Inlet-Glance at the sit- 
uation—The. "Kitty Simpson" hard aground— Danger threatens 
the battalion— Exciting scenes — Over the Bar— Captain Hepliurn 
refuses assistance and sails his ship into the Sound— Safe at 
anchor, .- . . . . . . . ■ 9-17 

CHAPTER III. 
Capture axd Occupatiox of Roaxoke Islaxd. 

General plan of operations— Off for Roanoke Island— Waiting to 
land — The slave boy "Tom," and his information— "Tom" 
guides a reconnoitering party of the Fifth to Ashby's Land- 
ing — The party fired upon by the rebels — Corporal Yiall 
wounded — The army lands— Battle of Roanoke Island — The 
rebel forces compelled to surrender— The Fiftli guards the hos- 
pital— Incidents— Expedition up Currituck Sound— Adventures 
of the Rhode Island boys on the mainland— Roanoke Island made 
secure— Kindness of General Burnside, . . , . 19-29 



X FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 

CHAPTER IV. 
The Battle and Capture of Xew Berne. 

Up Pamlico Sound— Signal fires— The defences of New Berne— Plan 
of attack— Foster and Reno fought to a standstill— Charge of the 
Fourth and Fifth Rhode Island — Guns captured — Lieutenant 
Pierce killed— The army advances and the rebels run— The Fifth 
occupy a rebel camp— Rebel report of their defeat— Our losses- 
Camp Pierce— Results of the battle— Governor Sprague thanks 
the battalion— The Fifth to have a banner 30-49 

CHAPTER V. 

From New Berne to Fort Macon.— Siege and Capture of 

that Fort. 

General Parke's brigade sent to reduce Fort Macon— Repairing the 
abandoned grist-mill— What makes a North Carolina city— How 
the Fiftli rebuilt the railway bridge— On the march to Fort 
Macon— The Fifth on "The Banks"— The batteries open fire- 
White flag hung out— The surrender—" Joe " Greene and his 
bugle— Camp life at Fort Macon, ..... 50-68 

CHAPTER VI. 

From Fort Macon to New Berne. 

Resting at Fort Macon— Changes in General Burnside's army— Pro- 
motions— General Burnside ordered to halt his victorious troops- 
Rhode Island presents a sword to General Burnside— The Fifth 
at the ceremony and review— General Burnside leaves the De- 
partment—The Fifth at Beaufort and Morehead City— Fourth of 
.July at Beaufort— The Fifth ordered to New Berne— Resignation 
of Major Wright and others— Promotions recommended by Gen- 
eral Foster — Captain George W. Tew appointed major — The 
Battalion to be a Regimeut, and Colonel H. T. Sisson to com- 
mand it, ........ . 69-84 

CHAPTER VII. 

The Tarboro Expedition. 

Recruiting for the regiment — Marching orders— The Fifth at Wash- 
ington, N. C. — The Second Brigade — Tiie march to Rawle's 
Mill — Battle of Rawle's Mill — Incidents — March through 
Willianiston to Hamilton — Hamilton Burned— " Applejack " — 
The halt near Tarboro— Sufferings of the shelterless men in a 
snow-storm— Moccasins made from raw hide— From Plymouth to 
New Berne— Rebels had attacked the outposts at New Berne — 
The Fifth ordered out to assist the picket reserves— Death of 
Quartermaster Gladding— Recruits arrive — The Fifth sent to 
quell a rumored mutiny on Roanoke Island, .... 85-98 



CONTENTS. XI 

CHAPTER YIII. 

Thk Goldsboko Campaign. 

The army assembles at New Berne— How the sick men of the Fifth 
evaded tiie surgeon— The march to Kinston— Battle of Kinston— 
Saving the burning bridge— Scenes at the bridge and in Kinston— 
The rebel general violates his own flag of truce— Results of the 
battle— March to Whiteiiall— Battle of Whitehall— Incidents- 
March to Goldsboro— Battle of Goldsboro— Rebel attack on the rear 
guard— The Fifth guards the flank— The return march— Exciting 
scenes of a bivouac at night — At Xew Berne again— General 
Foster's congratulatory order, ...... 99-116 

CHAPTER IX. 

Regimfxtal Changes and First Rebel Attack on Xew Bekne. 

Major Tew in command— His recommendations for promotions- 
Colonel Sisson arrives with recruits— The battalion becomes a 
regiment — His recommendations for promotions— Captain Arnold 
promoted Lieutenant-Colonel— Chaplain White reports for duty- 
Sunday in Camp Anthony— Promotions— Rebels preparing to re- 
capture New Berne— Rebel attack on Fort Anderson — Courag- 
eous action of a negro boat's crew— The gunboats on the scene- 
Retreat of the rebels— The Fifth again sent out to help tlie 
pickets— Colonel Arnold's ruse to deceive the enemy— Scouting 
to the front— Back Again in New Berne— Lieutenant-Colonel 
Arnold leaves the Fifth — Colonel Tew presents a sword to 
Captain Belger, ........ 117-U3 

CHAPTER X. 

The Fifth Ru?fs the Rebel Batteries and Carries Relief to 
General Foster and the Garrison of Washington, N. C. ' 

The rebels attack Washington, N. C— General Fo>ter and tiie small 
garrison blockaded and besieged— Fruitless attempts to relieve 
Washington— Marching orders for the Fifth— Off the mouth of 
Pamlico River— Colonel Sisson offers to relieve Washington- 
Delays and incidents— Reconnoisance by Captain Douglas and a 
detachment of the Fifth— Amuumition and stores taken aboard— 
The Fifth at last permitted to make the attempt— Every man in 
the regiment volunteers to go— The brave pilot— The batteries 
brilliantly and successfully run— The Fifth in Washington— Joy 
of the garrison— Skirmish at Rodman's Point— The rebels raise 
the siege — Incidents— Congratulations for the Fifth from all 
sides—" The most brilliant feat of the war "— " How it appeared 
from the inside," ....•••• l-l-i-167 



Xii FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 

CHAPTER XL 

The Fifth becomes a Regiment of Heavy Artillery —A Summer 
AND Autumn in New Berne. 

End of active operations in North Carolina— The Fifth garrisons 
the forts— Colonel Sisson in Boston— The Fifth becomes a regi- 
ment of heavy artillery— How tlie change was regarded in the 
regiment— Effects of the change— Chaplain White returns with a 
cargo of good things for the regiment— Reception of the elegant 
flag presented by the Forty-fourth Massachusetts— The "bounty 
jumper" appears in the Fifth— Assignments of the companies in 
the forts— Camp life in New Berne— Fort Totten— General Butler 
inspects the defences of New Berne— Surgeon Warren resigns— 
Assistant Surgeon Potter promoted to be surgeon— Thanksgiving 
at the Regimental Hospital— Death of Quartermaster Prouty— 
Letter to Colonel Sisson from one of the men, . . . 168-186 

CHAPTER XII. 
The Second Attack of the Rebels on New Berne. 

The rebels again attack New Berne— Heavy losses at the outposts— 
But few men to defend the forts and breastworks— Fire com- 
panies and all able-bodied civilians armed— Where the Fifth was 
stationed— Fears for the safety of Company A— It marches in all 
right — A day of suspense — The rebels capture the gunboat 
"Underwriter" — Captain Landers shells them out— Rebel report 
of this enterprise— Incidents of the third day— How the rebel 
band played for us— The rebels retire from in front of New 
Berne— Major Jameson to raise a regiment of colored troops- 
Commissions in colored regiments — Marriage of Colonel Sisson-- 
The rebels capture Plymouth, N. C — Alarm throughout the 
department— Companies D and I sent to garrison the forts at 
Hatteras Inlet— Companies C and E at Washington, . . 187-204 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Capture of Company A at Croatan. — Andersonville and 
Florence. 

Colonel Sisson's official report of the capture of Company A— 
Chaplain White's narrative of the fight at Croatan, the surrender 
of the company, and the march to Kinston— Private Sylvester B. 
Hiscox's narrative of life in Andersonville, Ga., Florence, S. C, 
and Captain 'Aigan's escape — Captain John Aigan's olYicial 
report, showing the death list in Southern prison pens, . . 205-229 



CONTENTS. xiil 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Yellow Feveii in New Beune. — Companies D and I at Roanoke 

Island. 

Condition of the Fiftli in tlie Summer of 1864— Colonel Sisson goes 
home— Changes of stations for the companies— Shot for deser- 
tion—The veterans off for home— The Yellow Fever— Heroism of 
Lieutenant Turner— His death— How the yellow fever origin- 
ated—Mortality among surgeons— Companies D and I at Roanoke 
Island— Thanksgiving celebrated in New England style— Com- 
pany D at Plymouth, N. C, . . . . . . 2;>0-242 

CHAPTER XV. 
Closing Operations of the War Around New Berne. 

The outlook — Return of the veterans — Backing across the "Swash " — 
Tiie Fifth makes its hardest march— Muster out of the three-year 
men— Kinston and Goldsboro occupied— Guarding supply trains- 
Promotions, ........ 243-254 

CHAPTER XVI. 
The End. 

The regiment asseuibles at Fort Spinola— How time was passed— 
Roster of officers— Promotions— En route for Providence— Recep- 
tion in Providence — General Burnside greets the returning 
veterans— Mustered out, ...... 255-259 



Roster, . . . . . • . 


261-338 


Appendix A, , . 


341-.343 


Appendix B, ....... 


344-345 


Appendix C, ....... 


346-351 


Appendix D, ....... 


351-364 


Appendix E, ....... 


365-377 


Index, ,......• 


379-382 



MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Col. Henry T. Sisson, 

Gen. Ambrose E. Biirnside, 

Major John Wright, 

Surgeon Albert Potter, . 

In the Gale off Hatteras, 

Gen. Jesse L. Reno, 

Gen. John G. Parke, 

Capt. Jonathan M. Wheeler, 

Attack on the Confederate Forts by the Union Fleet at 

Map of Roanoke Island, 

Lieut.-Col. Job Arnold, . 

Capt. George H. Grant, . 

Map of New Berne and viciaitj-, 

Capt. William W. Douglas, 

Capt. James Morau, 

Capt. Charles H. Chapman, 

Fort Macon, N. C, 

Lieut. James M. Wheaton, 

Capt. Charles Taft, 

Capt. James Gregg, 

General Burnside's Headquarters, New Berne, 

Gen. John G. Foster, 

Camp Anthony, New Berne, N. C, 

Lieut. Edward F. Angell, 

Lieut. Henry P. Williams, 

Lieut. Charles E. Douglass, 

The Drown Group: 

Joshua C. Drown, Sr., 
Joshua C. Drown, Jr., 
Benjamin F. Drown, 





PAGE. 


Front 


spiece. 


opposite 


page 1 




3 




5 




8 




10 




11 




15 


oanoke Isla 


id, 18 


. opposite 1 


)age 20 




23 




27 


opposite 1 


)age 30 




33 




40 




53 




58 




61 




65 




71 




73 


opposite page 76 




78 




87 




91 




101 




. 108 




. 108 




. 108 



MAPS AND ILLUSTHATIOX; 



Col. George W. Tew, 

Lieut. Charles E. Beers, . 

Hospital Steward John K. Biirlinguiiie, 

Lieut. Christopher W. Howlaiul. 

The Steamer "Escort," . 

Plan of Washington, X. C, 

Lieut. Herbert D. Leavitt, 

Lieut. William H. Chenery, 

First Sergt. Daniel Dove, 

Map of the Department of Xorth Carolina, 

Musician George W. Hoxie, 

Commissary Sergt. Joseph P. Sisson, 

Col. Isaac M. Potter, 

Major John Aigan, 

Chaplain Kev. Henry S. White, 

Sylvester B. Hiscox, 

Lieut. John B. Landers, . 

Lieut. George F. Turner, 

Sergt. James B. Horton, . 

Lieut. Charles E. Lawton, 

Corporal Francis Eaton, . 



PAGE. 

no 

124 

1.37 

145 

155 

opposite page 158 

1G9 

. 177 

. 185 

opposite page 186 

. 191 

. 197 

. 206 

. 211 

. 215 

. 221 

. 233 

. 237 

. 245 

, 251 

. 257 



CHAPTER I, 



ORGANIZATION— TO ANNAPOLIS, MD. 

THE first great battle of the War of the Rebellion in 1861 had 
ended in disaster to the army of the Union. The lesson was 
needed, for we had been over confident, and had entered the 
struggle without that practical knowledge which is absolutely essential 
in successfully moving and using large masses of men in the field and 
in great battles. The lesson was needed, in that a call for 500,000 
more men from the loyal north was made. With what noble 
patriotism this call was responded to is a matter of common history 
and need not be dwelt upon here. Rhode Island had nearly filled 
her quota at the time this narrative commences. In the early au- 
tumn of this year it was urged upon the National executive that a 
strong sentiment of loyalty still existed in the State of North Caro- 
lina, and that it only needed the presence of a powerful Union force 
within her borders to cause a large portion of her people to return to 
their allegiance. 

In pursuance of this opinion Brig. -Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside 
was empowered to raise a division of troops in the northern coast 
states. This force was to operate in North Carolina for the purpose 
of developing this, supposed latent, loyal feeling. Rhode Island was 
called upon to furnish her proportion of this force. After a number 
of tentative efforts the State executive decided to raise a battalion in 
tlie manner prescribed in the following order: 

State of Rhode Island, 

Adjutant-General' s Office, 
Providence, Oct. 5, ISGl. 
General Order, J\"o. 73. 

General Order No. 05 is hereby countermanded and the following 
substituted : 

Gen. A. E. Burnside having received authority from the Secretary of 
War to raise a division for Coast Service, to be commanded by him, and 



2 HISTORY OF THE 

denominated the Coast Division, attached to the Army of the Potomac, 
under command of General McClellan, it is the wish of the Commander- 
in-Chief to have one or more battalions of three or more companies 
raised from this State to be attached to the said division. 

Captains who have served in the First Eegiment and commanders of 
all military organizations in this State who are desirous of having com- 
panies in said battalions, may at once open their armories and places of 
rendezvous for the enlistment of men to serve for three years unless 
sooner discharged. 

The organization of the companies will be as follows : One captain, one 
first lieutenant, one second lieutenant, one first sergeant, four sergeants, 
eight corporals, two musicians, one wagoner, and sixty-four privates. 

As soon as the number enlisted amounts to eighty-three men, they 
will report to this department, when officers will be appointed and com- 
missioned by the Commander-in-Chief. 

A bounty of fifteen dollars will be paid by the State to every non- 
commissioned officer, musician and private enlisting under this order. 

Maj. Joseph P. Balcli is detailed to superintend the organization, 
and will arrange all matters connected with the recruiting of the same. 

It is the hoi^e of the Commander-in-Chief that said battalions will be 
raised with that spirit and promptness which will redound to the credit 
and reputation of our gallant State. 

By order of the Commander-in-Chief, 

Edward C. Mauhan, 

Adjutant-General. 

This is the official beginning of what was known as tlie First Bat- 
talion, Fifth Regiment Rhode Island Volunteers, and later in the 
war, as the Fifth Regiment Rhode Island Heavy Artillery. It is 
the history of this organization which will be related in the followinfy 
pages as fully and as impartially as imperfect records and the lapse 
of more than a score of years will permit. 

With the publication of this order began the labor attending the 
recruiting of so large a number of men by voluntary enlistment. 
The tide of wild enthusiasm which had swept over the whole north 
in the early spring of this year was now near its ebb. A war, the 
magnitude and duration of w^hich no man could forecast confronted 
the loyal people of the Union, and thoughtful men everywhere beo-an 
to realize the vast sacrifices of life and treasure that must be made 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 3 

to insure final success.- At this time the efforts of the State execu- 
tive were largely directed to the filling up of the ranks of the Fourth 
Regiment, in order that it might march to the fi-ont at the earliest 
possible moment. It was natural, therefore, that for a time recruit- 
ing for the proposed new battalion should seem to languish. 




Major John Wright. 

(From a recent picture.) 



Camp Greene, a few miles out from Providence, on the Stonington 
Railroad, was designated as the State rendezvous, and as fast as 
men were enlisted they were sent there. On the 28th of October, 
Major Balch, at his own request, was relieved from his duties with 
the battalion and Col. Christopher Blanding assigned to the snjter- 



4 HISTORY OF THE 

vision of the rendezvous. Here the first day of November found 
four companies in camp. OfScers, themselves largely self-taught, 
were striving to teach tactics and enforce military discipline, often 
with but indifferent results, as none of them had yet been commis- 
sioned by the State. On the 7th of November, however, the new 
battalion was given a commander in the person of Maj. Jolm Wright. 
He had been a captain in the Second Regiment, and came on from 
the Army of the Potomac to assume the duties of his new command. 
On the same day Rev. McWalter B. Noyes was appointed chaplain. 
Under the zealous efforts of Major Wright the former doubt and un- 
certainty was soon succeeded by more thorough military order and 
discipline. About this time a full company from Woonsocket joined 
the battalion and its successful organization was assured. 

The battalion was transferred from Camp Greene to the Dexter 
Training Ground, in Providence, on the 22d of November, and here, 
through the kindness and munificence of the citizens of that city, 
Thanksgiving Day was observed in real New England fashion. "All 
had a right merry time," and enjoyed themselves on that day as only 
soldiers could who had so long been subject to the discipline of a camp 
of instruction. Up to this time the uncertainty attending the absence 
of commissions for the oflftcers of the several companies, and which 
had been a source of great vexation to both officers and men, was 
removed by the appointment of officers for all the companies then 
organized. The general order making these appointments bore the 
date of Nov. 30, 1861. December 3d, Albert Potter was commis- 
sioned assistant-surgeon, with rank and pay to date from October 
10th. The change of quarters and the official appointment of the 
officers inspired new zeal in all connected with the battalion. The 
ranks filled up rapidly, and men and officers began to present that 
soldierly appearance which only time and good discipline can give. 

As the companies now contained the required number of men, on 
the 16th of December, 1861, they were formally mustered into the 
service of the United States by Captain Cutts, of the regular army. 
The roster was as follows : 

John Wright, major, commanding; Charles H. Chapman, adju- 
tant ; Munro H. Gladding, quartermaster ; Albert Potter, assistant- 
surgeon ; McWalter B. Noyes, chaplain ; Joseph J. Hatlinger, ser- 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 5 

geant-iQiijor ; William M. Prouty, quartermaster-sergeant ; Charles 
E. Beers, commissary sergeant ; C. Frank Gladding, hospital steward. 
Company A — Captain, Jonathan M. Wheeler; first lieutenant, 
Daniel S. Remington ; second lieutenant, Levi P. Goodwin. 




Surgeon Albert Potter. 



Company B — Captain, Allen G. Wright ; first lieutenant, William 
W. Hall ; second lieutenant. William W. Douglas. 

Company C — Captain, James M. Eddy ; first lieutenant, John E. 
Snow ; second lieutenant, George G. Hopkins. 

Company D — Captain, George H. Grant : first lieutenant, Henry 
R. Pierce ; second lieutenant, James Moran. 



HISTORY OF THK 



Company E — Captain, Job Arnold ; first lieutenant, ; 

second lieutenant, James M. Wheaton. 

A few days after the formal muster the battalion made a parade 
through the city, and received warm commendation from both citi- 
zens and the press, for the soldierly appearance and fine marching of 
the several companies. The days of their life at the rendezvous of 
organization now rapidly drew to an end, for every available man 
Avas needed at the front. Events followed each other rapidly. De- 
cember 26th, Major Wright I'eceived marching orders. " The men 
received the order joyfully, having become weary of their camp life 
and the monotonous routine of daily duty. They appeared remark- 
ably well on drill and at dress-parade, and were in the best condition 
for active service." On the 27th, they were reviewed by the gov- 
ernor as commander-in-chief of the State forces, who was accom- 
panied by his full statF. Tents had been struck and baggage packed. 
After the review the line wheeled into column and marched to the 
depot where a train was waiting to carry them over the first stage in 
their route to Annapolis, Md., where they were to join the assembled 
forces of General Burnside, who had received orders to move on his 
expedition south. 

The battalion arrived in Jersey City, opposite New York, on the 
morning of the 28th. Here a delay of some hours occurred. The 
major, commanding, found that the railroad officials had provided 
a train composed of cattle cars which had not been cleaned out since- 
their last freight of stock had been unloaded. They were informed 
by Major Wright that he had men, not cattle to transport. He told 
them they would have to provide better accommodations. They in- 
sisted that they had nothing better. *•' Very well," was the reply of 
the energetic major, " we will stay here, at your expense, until you 
find something better ; and in the meantime I will report the affair to 
the proper military authorities." Tliat settled it. The major was. 
informed that other and better cars would be supplied as soon as pos- 
sible. The vigor and promptness shown by Major Wright in thus 
caring for the comfort of the men of his command was so gratifying 
that the officers determined to show their appreciation by presenting 
him with some token of it. Wliile waiting for the promised train to 
be made up they sent out and purchased a fine field glass which they 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 7 

presented to him in due form and with fitting language. Very soon 
after, the train was announced, and in a few hours more they were 
enjoying the welcome hospitalities of the "Cooper Shop," in Phila- 
delphia, a place well and most favorably known to all soldiers passing- 
through that city, — the fame of which is a lasting monument to the 
large hearted and practical patriotism of its citizens, which really 
earned for it the title of the '•' City of Brotherly Love." Resuming 
their route at midnight they soon reached the Maryland line. From 
this point to Baltimore the bridges had been burned in the preceding 
spring by rebel sympathizers, and they now had block-houses at 
either end, garrisoned by Union soldiers. It looked warlike enough 
to the inexperienced men who now saw garrisoned block-houses for 
the first time. Upon reaching Baltimore the battalion had to take 
the usual march of about two miles through that city, from one sta- 
tion to the other, where cars were to be taken for Annapolis Junction. 
Orders were given that the command should keep closed up, and in 
no case reply to any threats or threatening demonstrations from any 
roughs or street crowds, if such should be made. No one was 
molested, however, during the line of march. 

The loyal citizens of Baltimore were endeavoring to establish a 
refreshment place for soldiers on the plan of the one in Philadelphia. 
The Fifth were invited to partake of their hospitality, and did so, the 
men receiving a piece of bread and boiled pork and a cup of coffee 
each. "You are our first guests," said the entertainers. Before 
the battalion left, however. Major Wright was asked to give a re- 
ceipt for the rations issued to his men. Up to that time all in the 
battalion supposed it was what it purported to be, the free hospitality 
of the citizens. At noon, on the 29th, the battalion left for Anna- 
polis Junction, where they met General Burnside. He was greeted 
with rousing and enthusiastic cheers. At this point cars were taken 
for Annapolis, which was reached in the evening, and the battalion 
Avent into camp on the grounds of the Naval Academy, where, when 
the men had time to look around, the presence of so large a force of 
men, and the vast preparations both on land and water, made each 
one realize that for them all preparatory steps were over and that he 
was in very deed one of the army in tiie field. 



iiMiiiiBii'iiiillini lii'lllihl' irjl'nf ^^^^^^^.' 



i« 




■'""»«««ai.MiiA^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 



CHAPTER II, 



FROM ANNAPOLIS, MD., TO HATTER AS INLET. 

THE first of the new year, 1862, found the battalion still in eamp 
on the grounds it had first occupied on an-ival at Annapolis. 
It was known as Camp Harris. On the 4th of January 
the Fourth Regiment Rhode Island Volunteers and Battery F, 
First Rhode Island Light Artillery, Captain Belger, commanding, 
arrived in camp. There had been an especial transfer of these 
organizations from the army of the Potomac to this expedition. In 
the case of Battery F, it Avas the beginning of that strong mutual 
comradeship and warm friendship between its officers and men and 
those of the Fifth Rhode Island Regiment known only to soldiers who 
have cemented these feelings bj' sharing the same toils and the same 
dangers, who have experienced the same joys and the same sorrows, 
during the successive campaigns of a long and bloody war, and 
whatever is said of approval or commendation of the members of 
the Fifth Regiment Rhode Island Volunteers applies -with equal 
force to the officers and men of tlie gallant Battery F. 

The quiet city of Annapolis now presented a most stirring scene, 
one that will 'never pass from the memory of those who then 
Avitnessed it, and probably one that never again will occur in 'that 
somnolent old town. A fleet of forty-six transports for the troops 
and their material, eleven of which Avere steamers, and nine armed 
propellers and five large armed barges fitted to serve as floating 
batteries, Avere anchored in the harbor. On land there Avere fifteen 
regiments and one battalion of infantry, and one battery of light 
artillery Avaiting the order to embark. Dispatch boats were darting 
in and out among the fleet, Avhile anxious aides-de-camp and hurry- 
ing mounted orderlies Avere to be seen everywhere on land. The 
scene presented a great and most animating change from the quiet ot 
the camp the Fifth Battalion had so recently left. 



10 



HISTORY OF THE 




Gen. Jesse L. Reno. 



As soon as the last regi- 
ments arrived the land forces 
were divided into three bri- 
gades composed as follows : 
The first comprised the 
, Twenty - third, Twenty - 
fourth, Twenty-fifth and 
Twenty-seventh Massachu- 
setts and the Tenth Connec- 
ticut infantry, under the 
command of Brig. -Gen. 
John G. Foster. The sec- 
ond was composed of the 
Sixth New Hampshire, 
Ninth New Jersey, Twenty- 
first Massachusetts, Fifty- 
first New York and Fifty-first Pennsylvania regiments of infantry, 
and was under the command of Brig. -Gen. Jesse L. Reno. The 
third was formed from the Eighth and Eleventh Connecticut, Fifty- 
third and Eighty-ninth New York, the Fourth Rhode Island and the 
First Battalion of the Fifth Regiment of Rhode Island Infantry, and 
was commanded by Brig. -Gen. John G. Parke. There was also a 
naval brigade recruited in New York by the name of the Volunteer 
Marine Artillery, commanded by Colonel Howard, which was espe- 
cially organized for this expedition. The bustle and the excitement 
was almost bewildering. But, war on so large a scale is a great 
educator, and in a few days these comparatively inexperienced men 
looked upon greater and far more exciting scenes with all the cool- 
ness of the oldest veterans. 

January 5th, " Paid off to-day." What soldier ever forgets the 
first pay day in camp? The sharp "Fall in!" of the orderly 
sergeant ; the march of the entire company to the pay table ; the 
formal identification of each man as his name is called and he steps 
forward to take the crisp notes, and, on this, and the only occasion, 
some shining gold. Does any like amount of money ever again give 
the same feeling of satisfaction? On this day the embarkation of 
the troops commenced, but it was not until the 8th that the Fifth 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY A1{TILLERY. 



11 




X 






Gen. John G. Parke. 



Battalion went on board 
the good ship, K^tty 
Simpso7i, Captain Hep- 
burn, master. On the 
9th she was taken in 
tow for Fortress Monroe. 
When outside, in Cliesa- 
peake Bay, the fog be- 
came so dense that she 
was obliged to anchor 
until the next day. Al- 
ready the men began to 
show the soldier's indif- 
ference to the future. 
An officer writing of that 
trip says : " There Avas 
plenty of singing and 

dancing, of chatting and laughing, of smoking and card-playing. 
All seemed to enjoy themselves and did not appear to find the time 
pass wearily." At last the fog lifted and the vessel again started for 
her delfetination, arriving at Fortress Monroe about three o'clock on 
the afternoon of the 11th. Here the men obtained the first view of 
a portion of the armed confederacy. The guns of the rebel batteries 
on Sewall's Point could be seen from their anchorage with the 
naked eye. 

About noon, on the 12th, the Kitty Simpson, this time under 
sealed orders, was again taken in tow. When oiF Cape Henry the 
pilot, taking with him the letters written to loved ones at home, 
boarded the tug, the line was cast off, sails were set, and the ship 
stood out to sea. When well out the orders were opened, and it was 
soon known that the destination of the expedition was Hatteras Inlet, 
and the ship bore away for that point. There was at this time much 
talk about rebel privateers, and a sharp look out was kept for all 
strange craft. In the middle of the night the ship's watch was 
startled by the sharp hail of " What ship is that? Where bound?" 
coming from what seemed to be a gunboat that had come un- 
pleasantly near in the darkness. Captain Hepburn was on deck at 



12 HISTORY OF THE 

the time and he answered, "The ship Kitty Sinq'^son — bound 
South! " With an oath the commander of the gunboat replied, " I 
want a better answer than that ! " and he called his crew to quarters 
and lighted his battle-lanterns. " If you have any right to ask that 
question you know my destination as well as I do !" was the reply of 
the sturdy master of the ^/«^ /S'i'wj'sox. Then he shouted to his 
own crew, " clear away that gun forward ! " adding to those standing 
near, " If they fire, I will ! " He had a four-pounder iron gun for- 
ward to fire signals with. By this time the gunboat had come so 
near that it was seen that she was one of the armed ferry-boats that 
belonged to the expedition, and the officer in charge of her apparently 
became satisfied that the Kitti/ Siinpson was not the looked for rebel 
privateer, and bestowing some unsolicited advice on Captain Hep- 
burn about answering hails more promptly in the future he soon drew 
out of sight in the gloom of the night. Our course that night lay 
directly out to sea to clear Hatteras shoals, and a bucket of water was 
drawn every half hour and tested Avith the thermometer. Bye and 
bye a rise of ten degrees showed we had reached the gulf stream and 
consequently were clear of the shoals, and the course was changed to 
the southwest, direct for Hatteras Inlet. No other incident of note 
occurred until anchor was cast in Hatteras Cove, on the afternoon of 
the 13th, where a large portion of the fleet had arrived, and some of 
the vessels of light draft had already safely crossed the bar of 
Hatteras Inlet. 

As the Fifth Rhode Island is now about to enter upon the theatre 
of its whole life as a military organization, an attempt will be made 
to give tlie briefest possible description of this portion of the coast of 
North Carolina, and some of the military reasons why it was se- 
lected at this time as the scene of active operations. The north- 
eastern coast of North Carolina presents a peculiar formation. Be- 
tween Cape Henry, in Virginia, and Cape Fear, in North Carolina, 
bordering upon the ocean is a narrow^ strip of sandy beach of ever 
varying width through the action of storm and tide, and rising no- 
where more than a few feet above high water. From Cape Henry 
to Cape Hatteras its general direction is slightly east of south. 
From Cape Hatteras to Cape Lookout it trends to the southwest. 
Cape Hatteras is its easternmost point, and the whole of this portion 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 13 

of the Atlantic coast is known as one of the stormiest and most 
dangerous in the world. Between this narrow strip of almost barren 
sand and the mainland are three sounds, known as the Currituck, 
Albemarle and Pamlico. Commencing at the north Currituck be- 
gins near Cape Henry and extends nearly half way to Cape Hatteras, 
and is narrow, shallow, and of little importance. Albemarle is next, 
and its greatest length is from east to west. It penetrates deeply 
into the mainland, and the Chowan and Roanoke rivers are its 
principal tributaries. Pamlico sound follows in order toward the 
south, and its longer axis is from the northeast to the southwest, 
conforming to the coast line. This sound has various local subdi- 
visions, as Roanoke, Croatan and others, and its principal rivers are 
the Pamlico and Neuse. The Albemarle and Pamlico sounds atFord 
safe navigation for vessels drawing a considerable depth of water, 
but near the shores they are very shallow, and owing to the sandy 
nature of the bottom this depth is always varying. 

A number of inlets through the narrow strip of sandy beach afford 
an entrance from the ocean to these sounds. Some of them are 
places where, during some great storm, the sea has broken through, 
and the subsequent flow of the tide has deepened the channel thus 
formed. At the ocean entrance to these inlets there is always a sand 
bar, or in local dialect, " a bulkhead," and another is found at the 
entrance to the sound, and it is known as " the swash." The 
channel between "the bulkhead" and " the swash" is often quite 
deep. Hatteras Inlet, just south of Cape Hatteras was formed by an 
inroad of the ocean, and it is the northernmost as well as the princi- 
pal inlet to Pamlico and Albemarle sounds. 

A glance at the military situation at this time shows a strong Con- 
federate force at Norfolk, and fronting the Union forces around 
Fortress Monroe. South of the Virginia capes, the next harbor of 
importance was Wilmington, on Cape Fear River. It was so 
strongly fortified that it was impracticable to attempt its reduction 
with any force then available for such a movement. At that time 
and during nearly the whole war it was the principal seaport in the 
possession of the Confederates. It will be seen that a strong force 
established in the Pamlico and Albemarle sounds, would have first, a 
safe and secure base of supplies arriving by Avay of the ocean ; 



14 HISTORY OF THE 

second, toward the north it would threaten the flank and rear of the 
Confederate forces at Norfolk, Virginia ; third, toward the south it 
could operate in the rear of the forces defending Wilmington, and 
fourth, if in possession of New Berne it threatened Goldsboro and 
the principal line of communication between Richmond and Wil- 
mington ; and, if firmly established at Goldsboro, it severed that line 
and opened up the way to Raleigh and the interior of the state. Early 
in the autumn of 18G1, as soon as the authorities at Washington had 
determined to send General Burnside to North Carolina, General 
Butler, then in command at Fortress Monroe, had been directed 
to take and fortify the points on either side of Hatteras Inlet. Ac- 
cordingly a considerable force had been sent down there at once, and 
strong forts had been erected. The presence of this force was a 
menace to the security of the rebel forces around Norfolk, Virginia, 
and to protect their flank from any attack coming from this direction 
they had fortified and strongly garrisoned Roanoke Island, at the en- 
trance to Albemarle Sound. At this time the garrisons at Hatteras In- 
let were under the command of Brigadier-General Williams. Con- 
sidering the relative strength and positions of the Union and Con- 
federate forces and the supposed existence of a loyal feeling among a 
large portion of the people of North Carolina, there were sound 
military, if not strong political reasons for this expedition. Its first 
enterprise, after passing Hatteras Inlet, was the reduction of Roanoke 
Island. 

If there is any one place where even the best regiment is abso- 
lutely helpless it is on a crowded transport in a dangerous gale at 
sea. The men are in the way of the ship's officers and crew, and 
in each other's way, and utterly powerless to avert any threatening 
danger. Impending death cannot be met here by the exciting rush 
of a charge straight in its face with rifle in hand. In this case it was 
even worse than on the open sea, for the ship was anchored to a 
treacherous bottom on one of the most dangerous coasts in the 
world. There was at high tide only twelve to thirteen feet of water 
on the Inlet bar, and the Kitty Simpson drew fourteen feet. It was 
decided to remain at anchor for the night and then lighten ship. 
During the night a heavy gale sprang up from the northeast and 
veered to northwest on the 15tli and continued until the ICth. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 



15 



Nothing could be done but to hold on and wait. Officers and men 
alike were sea-sick, and the ship pitched heavily at her anchors. 
The gale abated somewhat, and on the 16th and 17th about seventy 
tons of ballast was thi'own over. As the weather was very threat- 
ening it was decided to make the attempt to enter the sound the 




Capt. Jonathan M. Wheeler. 

(From a recent picture ) 

following day. A quiet and reticent non-combatant connected witli 
the battalion gave at the time this graphic picture of the scene : 
"At ten A. M. of the 18th the propeller, Virginia, came out to take 
us over the bar — but we struck, the liawser parted, and away the 
steamer went and left us there, pounding away at every sea enough 
to smash anything but the staunchest of ships to pieces. We got up 



16 HISTORY OF THE 

sail and tried every means to get off. At one time the battalion 
was formed and the men were rapidly moved first forward then aft, 
hoping by this manceuvre to ease her off", but the tide was ebbing 
and Ave stuck faster at every blow. Several tugs came out to us, 
and one of them took a hawser, but it parted immediately and soon 
we were fast and immovable. About four p. m. the tide rose enough 
to let the pounding begin again. The situation began to look 
' solemn ' for us, as the wreck of the steamer New York, which was 
lost a few days before, while trying to go in, was lying but a hun- 
dred yards from us. ' It seemed,' as one of the boys said, ' like 
being deathly sick with a grave-yard right under the window.' " 

About five p. M. another steamer came as near as the waves would 
permit, with orders to take off" the men. Two or three managed to 
jump aboard her as she rose on the crest of a wave, but this method 
of transfer was fraught with danger to both life and limb. Major 
Wright, whose dogged firmness was as equal to this emergency as 
the one in Jersey City, emphatically refused to obey the order. 
"Then, for some time the air was full of words between the major 
and aide-de-camp Pell, and the captain of the steamer with the 
master of the ship. The ' swearing in Flanders ' was child's play in 
comparison." Seeing the delay General Burnside ran down in his 
dispatch boat, and finding that Major Wright was correct in asserting 
tliat the ship was afloat, he ordered the steamer to pass a hawser 
aboard and try to tow her in. But Captain Hepburn, with language 
more vigorous than respectful, said, "You wouldn't help me when I 

needed it, and you, I won't have you now," and refused to 

give them his hawser. But better counsels soon prevailed, we took 
the proffered help and soon were over the "bulkhead," into the chan- 
nel, ^mid the cheers of our men and the troops on the other vessels 
inside, who had seen her pounding away there all day, and supposed 
that she would meet the fate which had befallen other vessels in her 
situation, which was to go to pieces. 

The men experienced all the discomforts of a crowded transport. 
On the 22d a southeast gale, accompanied with rain, sprang up, 
and steadily increased during the day. By night it was blowing a 
gale, and the anxiety of officers and men was increased by the doleful 
sound of signal guns of distress. In the morning it was found that 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLKRY. 17 

the hospital bark had broken from her moorings and had gone 
smashing around among the other vessels, and she was now seen 
flying signals of distress, but no assistance could be rendered to her 
so great was the force of the gale. It is impossible to recount the 
various incidents that occurred or note the damage inflicted on the 
fleet by this gale, which the Fifth just escaped in so timely a 
manner. 

The condition of the men on this vessel is thus described by a mem- 
ber of the battalion : 

" Our quarters on board the Kitty Simpson were extremely disa- 
greeable. Most of the transports were provided with bunks for the 
men, but on our vessel the difi^erent companies of the battalion were 
assigned to positions between decks, and so limited were our sleeping 
accommodations that we were packed together like sardines in a box. 
We were compelled to lie down spoon fashion, with no room to flop 
over. The place was dark and stifling, and a few ship lanterns were 
all the lights we had. It was as much as a man's neck was worth 
to get up during the night and endeavor to go on deck to ob- 
tain a breath of fresh air, for it was impossible to step without plac- 
ing one's foot on a comrade's head or some portion of the body. 
Some nights when the Aveather was fair, a comrade and myself 
would take our blankets and get under a small boat on deck, pre- 
ferring to sleep in the open air, although it was mid-winter, rather 
than camp down in the close and stifling atmosphere below." 

Time Avas passed on the Kitty Simpson with occasionally 
an incident to break the monotony. During the stay of the battalion 
measles broke out among the men, and on February 1st Surgeon 
Potter sent five of the worst cases to the hospital ship. One of 
this squad, private Peck, died soon after. It was the second death 
in the battalion, private Ryan having died in a fit at Annapolis, Md., 
the night before the embarkation. 
2 



CHAPTER III, 



CAPTURE AND OCCUPATION OF ROANOKE ISLAND. 

THE last clay of the month saw all of the troops safe in 
the sound, and immediate steps were taken to commence 
the initial operations of the campaign on land. The genera] 
plan of operations, briefly stated, was first to reduce the forts and 
capture the Confederate troops on Roanoke Island at the junction 
of the Pamlico and Albemarle sounds, and about forty miles 
north of Hatteras Inlet. At this time it might be regarded as 
the southern outpost to Norfolk, Virginia. Immediately following 
this operation a descent was to be made on New Berne. This 
city was situated on the right, or south bank of the Neuse River, 
at the junction of the Trent, a short distance above its entrance 
into Pamlico Sound at the extreme southwestern corner. It may 
be well to state here that a direct line of railway runs nearly 
due south from Richmond to Wilmington, and was one of the prin- 
cipal lines of supply for the rebel armies operating in Virginia. At 
Goldsboro this' line was crossed by the Atlantic and North Carolina 
Railroad running southeast from Raleigh down along the Neuse 
River through New Berne to Beaufort, just south of Cape Lookout 
on the ocean. The entrance to Beaufort harbor was guarded by 
Fort Macon. Having taken New Berne and securely established 
himself there. General Burnside was to turn to his left and capture 
Beaufort and Fort Macon. Retracing his steps he was to seize the 
railroad as far as Goldsboro, and, if possible, hold that place, thus 
severing the communications between Richmond and Wilmington, 
and then operate towards Raleigh, the capital of the State. 

Feb. 3, 1862, the battalion was transferred to the steamer 
S. JR. Spauldinrj, on which General Burnside had established his 



20 HISTORY OF THE 

headquarters, and two days afterward the fleet moved toward 
Roanoke Island, the gunboats leading in single file, and the trans- 
ports following in three divisions. "Pamlico Sound Avas covered 
with vessels in all directions as far as the eye could reach, all mov- 
ing majestically along with flags flying, presenting a glorious sight 
in comparison with its storm-tossed appearance of a few days be- 
fore." Taking up a position between the island and mainland an- 
chors were cast for the night, and that mysterious something, it 
might be called " a feeling" known only to soldiers and sailors on 
the eve of an engagement, told all on the fleet that the next few days 
"were to bring stirring scenes to these liitherto inexperienced men. 

The island was strongly fortified and all of the known landings 
were guarded by a strong force of the enemy which Avas to aid in 
the defence, while a fleet of small gunboats were hovering near, 
ready to aid the land forces at the first opportune moment. " Where 
was the best point to attempt a landing?" had been for sometime an 
anxious query at headquarters. In this case, as in many others, 
good foi'tune came from the humblest and most unexpected source. 
A bright mulatto boy, a slave, of sixteen or seventeen years of age, 
who said his name was "Tom," had escaped' from his master — on 
the island — and sought refuge among our men. It was soon ascer- 
tained that he had something to tell, and he was sent to General 
Burnside, who had a long interview with him. " Tom " knew all 
about the island and the forts and forces there. There was a strong 
battery about the centre of the island. There were two or three 
others at diff'ereut points. There were infantry and artillery there also. 
" There were," he said, " the ' Overland Grays,' ' Yankee Killers,' 
'Sons of Liberty,' 'Jackson Avengers' and the '0. K. Boys,' 
from North Carolina," as Avell as others with less high sounding titles 
from Virginia. He was asked if he knew of a good landing place. 
" Oh, yes ; at Ashby's Harbor. I have been there many times," 
was his reply, and gladly consented to become the needed guide. It 
Avas learned that up from this harbor there was a pretty good road to 
the place where the principal rebel fort was situated. The informa- 
tion he gave was of the greatest service and most materially aided in 
rendering the movement a success. " He Avas a quick-Avitted lad, 
and he Avas observed long afterwards at General Burnside's head- 



* ALBEMARLE SOUND 











j: 



_ . i:fi ., 

'•^Sr\ .'7" '■;■ '» ».',v.. 

4> .V j«f • ■'■'.'•.eoAiieKt »(»ii»>«e« 

M^i! V*ui»HT »-■•■- •■■ 

»■■■'.•' ■■ 




■RoANORf. Island 

fORTwEKTyTHIRD HiSTulV. 



Oi.C. AiV Bit'*. 







PAMLICO SOUND 



■^■-^^# I 



HAMaaJK 



J 



Uviii^ 



'-A 



X. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTH.r.ERY. 21 

quarters, at Falmoiitli, Va., intently comiitig a spellitig-hook lie 
had possessed Iiiinself of, and steadily engaged at every leisure mo- 
ment in learning to read." 

There were in reality, no less than five earthworks on the island, 
armed for the most part with heavy ordnance. Just north of the 
centre of the island a row of piles and other obstructions had been 
placed across the channel to the mainland. It was also protected by a 
strong land battery, and behind it lay the rebel fleet ready to prevent 
its removal. There were also five regiments and two battalions of in- 
fantry on the island. Such was the situation of affairs on the night 
of the oth of February. On the morning of the 6tli the fleet began 
to work toward shore, but before the movement was completed rain 
began to fall, and a gale sprang up in the afternoon, which caused a 
suspension of operations for that day. The weather having cleared 
on the morning of the 7th, at half-past ten o'clock a division of the 
gunboats opened fire on the forts on the island, engaging the rebel 
fleet at the same time. They failed to completely silence the fire of 
the forts, but the rebel fleet was easily driven away each time it ven- 
tured from behind the line of obstructions across the channel. 

On the part of the army the first thing to be done was to get ashore. 
The transports were still at anchor but ready to move at a moment's 
notice. The initial enterprise fell to the lot of our battalion, the 
historical account of which is as follows : 

About ten o'clock a. m. a boat load of volunteers from the Fifth 
Rhode Island Battalion, guided by "Tom," and under the command 
of Lieutenant A-iidrews, detailed from the Ninth New York to act as 
engineer on General Burnside's staff, was sent up to the harbol* to 
take soundings and reconnoitre the landing place. The duty was 
performed with great coolness and intrepidity by the party. The 
following forcible and detailed account of this undertaking is by a 
well-known officer of the battalion : " Shortly after the action com- 
menced between the fleet and the forts, the general sent Lieutenant 
Andrews of the Ninth New York (Hawkins' Zouaves), who had for 
a short time been acting on his staff, with an armed boat's crew 
from the Fifth, under the command of Sergt. Charles Taft of Com- 
pany E, to make soundings of the depth of the water along the shore, 
around what was known as Ashby's Harbor. They went on their 



22 HTSTOHY OF THE 

errand, skirted along the sliore for quite a distance, wlien Lieutenant 
Andrews, contrary to tlie orders received, directed them to piiU to 
the shore and land. No sooner had they reached the shore and one 
or two of them got out of the boat, than a company of rebels who 
had been watching them, concealed by the grass and sedge that lined 
the shore, rose up and delivered a volley in their faces at short range. 
Corp, Charles Viall, of Company E, was struck by a bullet right in 
the centre of the chin, knocking out the teeth, and carrying away 
the left lower jaw. Some of the others had their clothing perforated. 
What is surprising is, that considering the circumstances, they were 
not all killed or Avounded. As it was, the honor of being the first in 
the expedition to shed his blood for the Union, belonged to one of the 
Fifth. Sergeant Taft returned the fire of the rebels, and the enemy 
dropped out of sight into their cover of reeds and did not fire another 
shot. The boat returned to the Spaulding where Surgeon Potter 
extracted the ball from the wounded man's jaw. The first words 
uttered by the young man, after he Avas relieved by the operation, 
was an emphatic, ' D — n the rebels ! ' and when his face Avas properly 
bandaged and he saAv the teeth and pieces of bone, he said, ' Doctor, 
my jaw is spoilt for hard tack, isn't it? '" 

Tugs, barges, in fact any kind of boat that could be utilized had 
been filled Avith men, and each steamer of light draft had two of 
them in tow. At four p. m. the signal to move for the landin": 
pointed out by the boy "Tom," was given. The scene was ani- 
mated and striking beyond description, the boats dashing up to the 
shore, each vieing Avith the other ; the men jumped overboard as the 
boats grounded, waded to land, and Avith cheers of exultation planted 
the stars and stripes on Roanoke Island. General Foster's brigade 
had the advance, and in an hour four thousand men were put ashore. 
The Fifth Battalion landed in two detachments betAveen eight and 
nine o'clock, and by eleven o'clock all of the troops Avere put 
ashore. As fast as the men landed they pushed through the tangled 
swamp bordering the shore, adding, as they foundered along in the 
darkness, a coating of black muck to their already drenched cloth- 
ing. To increase their discomforts rain began to fall. The leading 
regiments of General Foster's brigade advanced until they were on 
the causcAvay running through the centre of the island, on Avhich in 
a strong and commanding position about a mile and a half to the 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTILLERV. 



23 



north were the fort and other works which were to be assaulted. 
The gloomy night was succeeded by a cheerless morning. The 
advance was led by the first brigade, and the rebel works were 
found to be too strong to attempt an attack until the second brigade 
under General Reno could come up. The third brigade was held in 
reserve. Very early in the morning General Parke had directed 




V 



Lieut. -Col. Job Arnold. 

Major Wright to march the battalion to Ashby's House on the 
westerly side of the island, where the rebels had erected a small 
earthv/ork to prevent the Union forces from landing at that place 
which was a much better harbor than that at Hammond's where we 
did go ashore. 

The enemy, though inferior in point of numbers, were strongly 
posted in a fortified position, well defended witli artillery. At 
last Reno's men had struggled through a deep and tangled swamp, 
which the enemy had supposed impassable, to the position assigned 



24 HISTORY OF THE 

to them, which enabled them to turn the enemy's works and attack 
their tlank, Avhile Foster's assaulted in front. At last the signal Avas 
given and the whole line swept forward to the charge, the parapets 
were mounted with a rush, the enemy were scattered, and the men 
of Reno and Foster met in the centre of the captured battery. 
AVhile this was being accomplished the Fifth Battalion was struggling 
along on its march to the Ashby House, Owing to the almost 
impassable nature of the ground and the dense fog its direction was 
lost for a time. Major Wright was ordered to remain at this point 
and act as a guai'd to the hospital which was to be established here. 
In a short time the wounded began to come in, and, toward even- 
ing, all were cheered by the news that all of the Confederate forces 
on the island had surrendered. The battalion bivouacked in the 
open air, and the night, if possible, was more cold, dismal and un- 
comfortable than the preceding one. Besides, it Avas not a pleasant 
situation to be in such close proximity to the poor felloAvs, lying 
Avounded or dead in the house and on the piazza, who, in the morning 
Avere as full of life and spirits as strength and high hopes could make 
them. 

At this time the hospital arrangements AA'ere of the very crudest 
kind, nor had the sanitary commission yet reached us Avith its supplies 
of food and comfort for the Avounded, so that there Avas no nourish- 
ment except what rations the men brought ashore in their haversacks, 
Avhich Avas very improper food for Avounded men even had they not, 
as Avas generally the case, lost their haversacks when they Avere 
brought to the hospital. At this point "Doctor" Diggs, Surgeon 
Potter's colored servant, showed his ability as caterer and cook. 
He found some corn meal of Avhich he made gruel and johnny cakes ; 
he got a detail of a soldier to shoot a steer Avhich he dressed and 
made beef tea, soup and roasts. He followed a track into the swamp 
and found two barrels of flour and visited a rebel camp and procured 
some bacon and cooking utensils, and so he fed forty wounded men 
and their attendants until they Avere removed three and four days 
after. Five boxes of hard bread and two barrels of steeped coffee 
were sent from the ships in the evening of tiie second day. Diggs 
supplied everything else. 

Five forts, mounting thirty-two guns, tAvo thousand six hundred 
and seventy-seven prisoners, three thousand stand of small arms and 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 25 

a large amount of material of war were the field trophies of this 
victory, ami the rebel flag never again floateil on Roanoke Island. 
Our loss in the land and naval engagements were : forty-one killed 
and one hundred and eighty one wounded in the land attack, while 
the naval loss was three killed and eleven wounded. The next day, 
Sunday, February 9th, was devoted to gathering the material fruits 
of the victory, and to that other always sad duty of giving a field 
burial to the dead. In the afternoon the battalion marched to Fort 
Bartow, where General Burnside had established his headquarters. 
Here the men pitched camp for the first time since leaving Annapo- 
lis, a month before, and at once entered upon their duties as garrison 
of the post and guard at general headquarters. A detachment 
under Lieut. James Moran was placed in charge of the hospital 
containing the rebel sick and wounded, with orders to make out the 
rolls for all the prisoners in it. It was a detail from this detachment 
which exhumed the body of O. Jennings AVise, late an editor of the 
Richmond Whig, and an otiicer in "Wise's Legion. Young Wise 
had been shot and fatally wounded while attempting to escape in 
a small boat, after the battle. He was the favorite son of Ex- 
Governor Wise, of Virginia, of '' John Brown" fame, and who was 
at this time a brigadier-general in the rebel army, and in command 
of the forces at Roanoke Island. The general was sick at Nag's 
Head, on the day of the battle, and so escaped capture. The body 
of youug Wise was sent to his friends in the rebel lines. 

On the 9th, General Burnside caused the following order to be 

published : 

Hdqrs. Dept. of Xorth Carolixa, 

KoANOKE Island, N. C, Feb. 9, ISG'2. 
General Orders^ No. 7. 

Tlie general commanding congratulates his troojis on their brilliant 
and successful occupation of Roanoke Island. The courage and steadi- 
ness they have shown under fire is what he expected from them, and he 
accepts it as a token of future victory. Each regiment on the island 
vrill inscribe on its banner, "Roanoke Island, February 8, 1862." 

The highest praise is due to Biigadier-Generals Foster, Reno, and 
Parke, who so bravely and energetically carried out the movement tliat 
has resulted in the complete success of tlie Union arms. 
By command of Brig.-Gen. A. E. BURNSIDE, 

Lewis Richmond, 
Assistant Adjutdnt-Gencrcl. 



26 HISTORY OF THE 

A few days after the battle a detachment of our battalion under 
the command of Lieut. William W. Douglas was sent with aide-de- 
camp Pell to Nag's Head, where they made a thorough search of 
General Wise's quarters, which resulted in securing considerable cor- 
respondence, which was of great service to General Burnside. For 
some days after the battle the battalion remained on duty at the fort. 
AVith what rejoicings and firing of salutes the news of this victory 
was received at the North, how everybody aud almost everything con- 
nected with the expedition was congratulated and how the commanding 
general was thanked by officers of all grades, how the Rhode Island 
legislature then in session, passed resolutions of commendation and 
voted him a magnificent sword, must be themes for other histories 
than this. 

On the 19th of February, an expedition composed of our bat- 
talion and a detachment from the fleet, under the joint command of 
Major Wright and Captain Jefters of the navy, was sent up Curri- 
tuck Sound to destroy some salt works about sixty miles from 
Roanoke Island. 'J'he combined force embarked on the stern 
wheeler. Union, which was always known to the men as the 
Wheelharroio, and two launches, each armed with a boat's howitzer, 
were taken in tow. Everything went smoothly until the " Narrows," 
some ten miles from the works, were reached. Here, owing to the 
shallowness of the water, and the very narrow and crooked channel, 
if such a term could be used where no channel existed as we under- 
stand the meaning of the term, we were entirely unsuccessful. 
" We thought our boat could steam over any part of the state in a 
heavy dew or on a wet day, but this crooked ditch of mud and sand 
held a better hand than the Wheelharroiv , and had trumps to spare." 
Every expedient that Yankee ingenuity and sailor skill could devise 
was made use of. Cables and anchors were carried out on shore 
and we tried to warp around the bends. We moved backward and 
then we moved forward. Tlie steamer's bow was jammed into one 
bank while the wheel, at the stern, threw up the thick black mud at 
the other. We got in so far that we had quite as much labor and 
trouble in getting out ; and then we tried to go through with the 
launches, only to find that they drew more water than the steamer, 
so we finally concluded that we would not destroy those salt works 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY, 



27 



on tliis trip. Darkness coming on we managed to get back into the 
sound, when we cast anchor for the night. 

On tlie way back to the ishind a landing was made on the main- 
land to secure a small schooner that had been used by the rebel 
troops to escape from Nag's Head, on the day of the battle. Here 




Capt. George H. Grant. 

some of the officers and men received permission to go inland. 
During their scouting they met with a number of amusing incidents 
in tlieir efforts to get acquainted with some of the people, and at the 
same time make additions to their army rations. " No man wanted 
a thing he was not willing to pay for." It was the garden of Eden 
era of the war. Two of these incidents will show the temper of 



28 HISTORY OF THE 

the people at that time. An officer writes: "At one liouse the 
party visited, we had a funny experience. When we entered the 
yard no one was to be seen, not even a dog. We went up to the 
house, the doors were open and no one in sight. Pretty soon a man, 
we shoukl judge he was about fifty years of age, came in out of a 
chimp of bushes near the house. We met him on the porch and 
asked if any one was in. He replied, " No, they are all away; " 
whereat some one said he need not be afraid, no one would do him 
any harm. At once he put on what Avas meant to be a very bold 
front,, at the same time shaking all over, and said he had never yet 
seen the man he was afraid of. AVe assured him we were not there 
to interfere with peaceable citizens ; that all we wanted was to see if 
we could not buy eggs, chickens, or something of that kind. We 
did not talk long before we noticed a commotion under a bed in a 
room, the door of which was open, giving us a plain view. We 
soon saw the cause of it in the person of an old woman who had 
taken refuge there. When she same out the hearty laugh that 
greeted her, and the good natured rallying she received for hiding 
under the bed put her in great good humor. She went immediately 
to another room, and the result was that a daughter came out from 
under another bed. She then went to the back door of the house 
and, raising her voice to its highest pitch, called to another, who soon 
responded by coming in from the woods, which, as usual, are con- 
veniently near all the houses. The daughters proved to be two 
comely looking young women, and they came in, sat down, and 
joined in the conversation which now reverted to the subject of what 
could be bought. We got several things, and, on leaving, the whole 
family were quite cordial in their adieus." 

A private letter of that date gives this experience of another 
party : " We landed at the place where General Wise landed in his 
retreat, and we sunk a large scow which he had used to carry troops 
over on. We took dinner with a Baptist minister who iuid a Union 
flag flying in his door-yard. He had a large plantation, and owned 
about fifty slaves. They were tumbling and crawling all about the 
place, and he seemed like a patriarch surrounded by his family, with 
men servants, and maid servants, and little children. He gave ns 
chicken and ham, sausage and corn bread, hominy and pudding." 



FIFTH RHODE FSLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 29 

Upon its return to camp tlie battalion resumed drilling and guard 
duty at the fort now kno\vu as Fort Foster, varied by fatigue duty 
in building a large floating dock from the landing out into the 
sound. This life was very monotonous. A private letter of the 
date of March 2d, says: "General Burnside came into our tent 
to-day and sat and talked a long time. He complimented our bat- 
talion very highly on their proficiency in the ritle drill, and spoke of 
the neatness of our camp." The day following -we learn that 
" General Burnside very kindly and thoughtfully sent two copies of 
the New York Herald of the date of February 22d, to our company 
for their use. He is continually endearing himself to the men by 
some such act of thoughtfulness for their comfort. No man could 
be more beloved and more respected than he is by us all." 

Tales of death by accident are common enough at all times, and 
far too common in the history of most military organizations. Just 
by way of variety we must tell how one of the " boys " of the Fifth 
did not get killed by accident. Private George "W. Ford was on guard 
at headquarters one day. "With a comrade he started to go down 
to camp. Filling his pipe as he walked along, he stopped by an un- 
exploded nine-inch shell, lying near the path, and, scratching a 
match on the shell, he lighted his pipe. He then called to his com- 
rade, -who had passed on. The soldier turned in time to see Ford 
stoop down put the lighted match in the fuse hole of the shell ; then 
he was deafened by the noise of the explosion and thoroughly 
frightened by the flying fragments of iron. The explosion which 
followed made a hole in the sand deep enough and big enough to 
bury a horse. But Ford was not luirt. Pieces of the shell fell 
in the camp of the Eighth Connecticut, a quarter of a mile away. 
They picked up the fragments of •' old iron," " and came down," 
as one of the men said at the time, to our camp, madder than any 
Connecticut regiment we had ever before seen, and wanted to know, 
what " in the name of the Great Jeliovah, we were doing." 

But the characteristic kindness of General Burnside to his Rhode 
Island boys, and their toyings with charged shell were soon ended by 
the preparations for another important movement. 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE BATTLE AND CAPTURE OF NEW BERNE. 

THE regiments which were to take part in the new movement 
received orders to be ready on tlie 26th of February, but it 
was as late as the Gth of March before all the preparations 
were completed and the embarkation of the troops really commenced, 
and it was not until the 9th that all were finally on board of the 
transports. The Fifth did not embark until the 9th, and it was divi- 
ded into two detachments, one composed of Companies B and C, 
with Major Wright and the battalion statF going aboard the steam 
ferry-boat Curie to, and Companies A, D, and E, finding quarters on 
the ferry-boat Eagle. 

"At ten o'clock on the morning of the 11th, the fleet assembled off 
the mouth of Hatteras Inlet, in Pamlico Sound, and, on the morning 
of the 12th, the commanding general issued a general order, notify- 
ing his troops that they were on the eve of an important movement, 
which would greatly demoralize the enemy and materially assist the 
Army of the Potomac in its operations against the city of Richmond." 
On the morning of the 12th the fleet was again put under way, this 
time escorted by fourteen gunboats under the command of Com- 
mander S. C. Rowan. No pen or tongue can give a full description 
of the beauty of this morning in the early spi'ing of this climate. 
It was one that will never be forgotten by those who looked upon it 
then, and all unite in their glowing narrations of it. "The whole 
body of the sound was as smooth as a mirror ; not a ripple ruffled its 
surface, which appeared in the rosy light of the morning like 
burnished gold. Every vessel in the fleet was decked Avith flags and 
the gayest of bunting in one way or another, though the light winds 
blowing from the north could barely flutter ensign and pennant." 
As the fleet steamed slowly to the southwest the low lying mainland 




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FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 31 

on the right was the nearest shore, and, as it passed along on its way- 
it Avas steadily preceded by successive columns of black smoke rising 
from the signal fires lighted to give warning of the progress of the 
expedition along the coast. Soon after noon the scene changed, for 
the sky clouded and by the time the fleet had reached the Neuse and 
ascended as far as Slocum's Creek, about fifteen miles below New 
Berne, and the proposed point for the debarkation of the troops, the 
heavens Avere dark with portents of rain and storm. Not long after 
anchors were cast '' word was passed from vessel to vessel that 
General Burnside had been promoted by the President to the rank of 
Major-General." "On receiving this news the air was rent by 
cheer upon cheer, which were repeated again and again, clearly 
showing the love and respect of the soldiers for their commander." 
Scarcely had the fleet assembled near the mouth of the creek when 
rain began to fall, and the nest morning Avas rainy and cheerless 
enough to dispirit men of more than ordinary courage. About eight 
o'clock, however, the clouds broke, the sun shone out once more, 
and in an hour the men were in the small boats ready to land. 
Here, as at Roanoke Island, the water along shore was very shallow, 
and many of the men w^ere compelled to leave the boats and wade to 
the firm land ; and, here as there, no sooner had the debai-kation 
fairly commenced than rain began to fall again. "Wet as the men 
were no time was lost at the landing, but as fast as tliey came ashore 
the line of march was at once taken up, with a skirmish line from .the 
Twenty-fourth Massachusetts well in advance. Under the eff"ect of 
the marching men in front, the roads soon became almost impas- 
sable for those Avho followed, the sticky mud adhering to their feet 
and lower clothing at every step until they often became so heavy 
that the tired men could scarcely lift them. The time spent in land- 
ing and a march of about twelve miles over such terrible roads used 
up the whole day, and a half-rain, half-drizzle of the most aggrava- 
ting character fell nearly all of the time. 

During the afternoon the first of two abandoned lines of rebel 
fortifications was passed. A private letter thus describes it : " We 
pursued them past their barracks and past a splendid battery, from 
Avhich they had removed the guns. This battery extended from the 
river to the railroad, and was protected by a ditch eight or nine feet 



32 HISTORY OF THE 

deep. There were platforms in place for the guns, but the guns 
■were not there. We could have held it with 5,000 men against all 
the soldiers in North Carolina. It looked absolutely impregnable, 
except against siege guns, which we did not have. Yet the rebels 
left it without firing a shot." It was at this point that quite a num- 
ber of men from the different regiments indulged in considerable 
foraging in a populous farm-yai"d, and Sergt. Charles Perrigo, of 
Company A, was fatally wounded by an accidental shot, which was 
intended for some pig or turkey. 

As soon as one of the detachments of the battalion landed at 
Slocum's Creek it commenced its march to the front without waiting 
for the coming of the other. The halt for the night was made as 
near as possible to the rebel line of fortifications, which was about 
four miles southeast of New Berne. At dark the leading detachment 
of the battalion "filed left" oflf the road and bivouacked for the 
night. Says an officer : "A tireder set of men than Ave were can 
seldom be seen, and as soon as possible we tried to get some rest so 
as to be as fresh as might be for the work which all knew was to be 
done the next day. It was almost impossible to find a place to lie 
down or spread a blanket on, as the level surface of the ground af- 
forded no drainage for the water to run off", and it Avas so thoroughly 
saturated that it could hold no more. The consequence Avas that it 
Avas covered Avith a sheet of Avater a few inches deep all over it, ex- 
cept at the foot of the pine trees, whose roots raised the surrounding 
surface a little, and Avith Avhich the Avhole region round about Avas 
heavily timbered." 

Here, amid these inclement surroundings this detachment passed 
the night, and never Avas a morning more welcome than the one that 
followed it. While these men were enduring such discomfort the 
members of the other detachment Avere more fortunate. A letter 
says : 

"At last, completely exhausted by our march, the men dropped 
down around some fires in a farm-yard Avhich had been left by the 
troops that had preceded us, and they Avere soon asleep. 1 had the 
good fortune to get into an out-building, a negro hut, Avhere some 
stragglers from the Fourth Rhode Island Avere cooking a savory 
smelling mess in the broad fire-place. I accepted their cordial invi- 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 



33 



tation to sit at their table, and was soon absorbing moderate doses 
of a very good chicken soup. I had the satisfaction of calling in 
Captain Wright and Lieutenant Hall, and inducing them to partake 
of some of the same timely and nourishing diet. This was about 
nine p.m., and we had tasted nothing since morning. At about half- 




Capt. William W. Douglas. 

past one o'clock the men were roused up and we resumed our march, 
through water and more clayey mud. AVe came, about half-past 
three o'clock, to the other companies of our battalion. 

"The enemy had made elaborate preparations to defend New 

Berne, which is situated on the Neuse River at the point formed by 

the junction of the Trent, which flows in from the west. A line 

had been selected some three miles south of the Trent, which may 

3 



34 HISTORY OF THE 

be briefly described. Commencing at the Neuse, a strong earth- 
work had been constructed which completely commanded the channel 
of the river, and also the landside as far as the railroad, which is 
here about three-fourths of a mile from the river. It was mounted 
with thirteen guns, four of which bore upon the approach by land. 
Extending west to tlie railroad was a breastwork defended by an 
abatis of trees felled in its front to give a proper field of fire as well 
as make a formidable obstruction, and also by a deep ditch along its 
whole front. At the railroad it ended in a strong bastion command- 
ing the approach from that direction. This much had been learned 
by General Burnside's scouts sometime previous to the expedition. 
But what he probably did not know was that the enemy had erected, 
west of the railway, a line composed of thirteen small redans on a 
group of six low hills that extended from the railway to an impa.s- 
sable swamp, a mile further to the left. The low hills on the left of 
the railway present a tangle of low ridges interspersed with open, 
swampy places between. There were, on the whole of this line, 
forty-six guns, of which some were field artillery. To oppose this 
formidable array of ordnance we could bring into the field six small, 
brass, boat howitzers, each dragged along and manned by twelve 
men from the ' Marine Brigade.' The enemy, under the command 
of General Branch, were reported to be 8,000 strong. 

" There was nothing to do but to make a direct attack in front 
and trust to the dash and courage of the men to carry them through. 
And the order of battle was as simple as the plan of attack. As 
usual. General Foster's brigade had the lead, and was to go into line 
in front of the strong work on the river, known as Fort Thompson. 
General Reno was to connect with General Foster's left, and con- 
tinue the line to the railroad. General Parke's brigade, in which 
was our battalion, was to form on the right centre, and go — as re- 
serves always have to go in such cases — where the battle is the hot- 
test and men are most needed. On this occasion the brigade 
comprised the Fourth and First Battalion of the Fifth Rhode 
Island, and the Eighth and Eleventh Connecticut Infantry. And it 
was still further weakened by the Eleventh Connecticut having 
already been sent to aid General Foster, whose brigade was in 
position early in the morning (the 14th), and became so heavily en- 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 35 

gaged that extensive changes in the line had to be made ; the works 
of the enemy at this point proving too strong to be carried by direct 
attack. In the meantime General Reno was struggling along the 
railroad to the place assigned to his brigade in the plan of the battle, 
and he soon became aware, from the deadly fire of the enemy on 
the hills west of the railroad, that instead of overlapping the rebel 
right he himself was exposed to an attack on his flank in case he 
should penetrate their line. By this time General Foster's brigade 
had been fought to a stand-still, and his howitzers as well as some of 
his regiments had nearly exhausted their ammunition. General 
Reno could do nothing but to attempt to carry the works in his front 
by direct assault, and he could only spare a portion of one I'egiment 
for that purpose. Four companies of the Twenty-first Massachusetts, 
commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Clark were selected for this 
almost forlorn hope. The advance was made under a galling fire by 
this small band of brave men, who carried their flag over the breast- 
works and there rallied around it. Meeting with the fire of a field 
battery Avhich opened upon them, they charged and captured these 
guns. By this time the enemy saw that it was a comparatively 
mere handful of men who had penetrated their line, and they ad- 
vanced an oversvhelming force against it. General Reno's position 
was so critical that he could not spare a man to aid Lieutenant- 
Colonel Clark, and the latter made a reluctant but skillful retreat to 
our lines, leaving the captured guns behind. Tliis crisis was the op- 
portunity for what there was of the Third brigade that could be made 
available. Wheii the battle opened on the right it had been ordered 
into a position where it could support either Foster or Reno. 
Geiieral Parke found the ground he was to occupy very broken, 
composed of alternate low ridges with swampy swails between. By 
lying down behind these ridges the men could find some cover from 
the shot and shell sweeping the field in front. As may be readily 
seen the first and second brigades here, as at Roanoke Island, were 
given the position of honor, in case the enemy were easily routed 
from their works, and here the weak Third brigade was made still 
weaker by having one of its strongest regiments, the Eleventh Con- 
necticut, detached to aid General Foster almost as soon as his brigade 
came under fire. But the time had come when General Parke's men 



36 HISTORY OF THE 

could no longer be denied. Tiie Fourth Rhode Island, in going into 
position, had been followed by the Eighth Connecticut, but that regi- 
ment, with true, soldierly chivalry allowed the Fifth Battalion to 
follow the Fourth Regiment, and hence it came, though it was not so 
understood at the time at headquarters, that all through this fiercely 
contested battle these two Rhode Island organizations shared the 
same dangers and gained the same honors in charging and fighting 
during the rest of the day. The position these regiments occupied 
was so inuch exposed that Colonel Rodman, of the Fourth, moved 
them forward to the railroad cut, which aiforded better shelter. 
From this point he witnessed the gallant charge made by the men of 
the Twenty-first Massachusetts, and their sullen retreat from the 
position they had so courageously won. Ordering his men to be on 
the alert, he met Lieutenant-Colonel Clark, as he came from the 
enemy's works and from him learned enough to determine his future 
course in the action. He gave the command, and away sprang the 
Rhode Island men, and soon they were seen swarming over the 
enemy's Avorks, closely followed by the Eighth Connecticut, Colonel 
Rodman, in the meantime, having sent word to his immediate 
superior telling, not of what he proposed to do, but of what lie had 
done. 

"• Once within the enemy's lines the little force was directed to the 
right, and it fought its way from gun to gun until it had captured 
nine of them. General Foster observing the commotion among the 
rebels in his front, caused by the progress of Colonel Rodman's men, 
ordered his line to advance, and it was soon inside the breastworks. 
But the enemy on the left of the railroad were still unbroken and 
undaunted, and stubbornly continued the battle. The successful 
Rhode Island men now turned their attention to them, again winning 
honors, if there be special honor on a field of battle where all are 
alike equally brave, and all alike do their very best." 

It will, however, be left to two ofliicers who were participants in 
this battle to give accounts of the part borne by our battalion, in more 
grapliic and fuller detail. In a private letter one cf them says : 

"At last we came to a deep ravine, or rather a series of low hills 
and gullies thrown together in an inextricable confusion, and were 
there told that the great battery of the enemy had been taken by the 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND IIEAVV ARTILLERY. 37 

Massachusetts Twenty-first, but that they coiihl not hokl it, owing to 
their small numbers, and it had been retaken by the enemy. We 
•were ordered to fall in behind the Fourth Rhode Island and the 
Eighth Connecticut, but the Eighth halted and allowed us to take 
our position next to the Fourth. Then, ' cliarge, Rhode Island ! ' 
was the cry, and away we ran over stumps and fences, up a steep 
bank, across an open space, the bullets all the while whistling close 
in our ears, and we halted only when inside tlie breastworks, the 
Fourth having gone into the main battery — the enemy in retreat. 
The fire from the left of oui new position still continued, and, after 
forming line under it to repel an expected charge, we were ordered to 
turn to the left, take up a position under the brow of a small sand 
ridge, covered as was the whole battlefield, with tall trees and thick 
underbrusli. Here, after having twice crossed the hot fire from the 
rebel ritie-pits and battery, beyond the railroad, we fired our first real 
volley, advancing to the brow of the hill to do so, and retiring a 
few steps to load. Prisoners afterwards told us that that first volley 
killed fifteen of their men. The fog, and smoke, and the dense 
woods prevented us from seeing anything for awhile, but as a puff 
of wind cleared our view for a moment in front of us, we saw with 
joy the a^ray coats and caps of the enemy. Now, the Fourtli wliicli 
had been doins: ^ood service somewhere about the centre of the 
enemy's line, were ordered into position near us, and to advance 
with their flag as we had none. They filed past us on our left, and 
advancing through the woods to the front, ruslied down over the rail- 
road, across rifle-pits and gullies, and with one shout carried the 
battery beyond and decided the victory. Our advance was now un- 
disputed and triumphant. The railroad and the turnpike led us 
straight into New Berne. We took two camps in which the fires 
were still burning, and the bread left in the mixing troughs. The 
Fourth was stationed in one and the Fifth in the other. Just as our 
tired limbs were warning us that they could not carry us much 
further, the news was brought us that ' our gunboats are at the 
wharf in New Berne.' We arrived at our camp in time to eat warm 
bread baked by the enemy." 

The battalion had marched along the road to a point within about 
three-fourths of a mile of the enemy's works when the followhig 



38 HISTORY OF THE 

narrative commences : "At this point General Burnside had 
stationed himself, with some members of his staff. Here, just as 
we came up, a shot from a rebel battery came along and cut off" a 
large limb of one of a clump of trees, under which they were sitting 
on their horses. The animals danced around considerably for a 
time, and here the excitement of the approaching battle began to tell 
on the men. A cheer was started, but it Avas suppressed by the 
officers on account of the close proximity of the rebels, it being 
thought that it might give them an idea of our movements. Here 
the head of the column was turned to the left, and, after going on the 
double-quick for some time, we came ' on the right by file into line ' 
in front of the rebel abatis. This they had made along their whole 
front, by cutting down the forest trees, leaving their bodies, 
branches, and the underbrush tangled in every direction for a depth 
of over a quarter of a mile. It seemed impenetrable even to a line 
of skirmishers. When the line was formed we were ordered to 
'lie down,' and there we waited for developments, and here the 
enemy's fire of musketry and artillery became somewhat annoying. 
We waited patiently for some time, and began to wonder what 
next? when the firing became hotter, and we noticed a commotion 
in the abatis in front of us, and immediately we saw some men 
breaking through it, who proved to be of the Twenty-first Massachu- 
setts. They told us that they had been inside the rebel breastworks 
with four companies of their regiment, that they were not in force 
enough to hold their position and they had been driven out, and 
some of their men had been captured. Just at this moment an aide 
came along with orders for us to move. Counter-marching to the 
right and rear we moved on the double-quick still further to our left. 
It did not take us long to get over considerable ground, and the first 
thing we knew we were at the railroad, whose embankment at this 
point was about ten feet above the surrounding level. We were then 
moved along the line of the road, plunging over logs, and through 
gullies, over ditches, and through mud and water, till at last we 
found ourselves inside the rebel works. 

" The point where we entered was the brick-yards, and here there 
were several buildings in which a large number of rebel sharp- 
shooters were posted. As we entered the works those in the houses 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTII.LEUY. 39 

just — skecldadled ! The Eiglitli Connecticut, whicli was on our 
right, turned to the right, while our battalon kept straight ahead for 
some distance, when botli formed in line, ours at the crest of a ridge 
which gave us an excellent position to bring our fire to bear on tlie 
flank of the rifle-pits across the railroad, while the Fourth Kliode 
Island charged them in front. We were to engage their attention by 
keeping up as brisk and steady a fire as possible, until we heard the 
Fourth cheer when they charged. The rebels replied to our fire 
with a vim, and here we sustained our severest loss. We had not 
been under fire three minutes when Lieut. Henry R, Pierce, of 
Company D, was killed, while cheering and encouraging his men. 
I passed to the right of his company and told Captain Grant that the 
lieutenant was shot. Ordering me to take command in his place 
the captain went down where the lieutenant was lying and had him 
removed to the rear. The captain soon returned and seemed deeply 
agitated at the loss of his friend and vowed revenge. Taking a 
musket from one of the men he commenced firing away. Soon the 
order to cease firing was given, but the captain and a man by the 
name of Ryan went some twenty paces to the front and fired a few 
shots on their own account across the railroad. The captain re- 
turned with two muskets instead of one, and informed me that Ryan 
had been shot through the head. I went up to where the man lay 
and found that he had a bullet hole in his right temple. 

" Not long after we received the order to cease firing we heard 
cheering, not the rebel Yi ! Yi ! Yi ! but a genuine Yankee cheer — 
the cheer we were expecting, and almost immediately we received 
news that the rebels were in retreat at all points and that we were to 
join in the pursuit. The announcement was received with cheer 
upon cheer, and on coming to the road we there found the I'est of the 
bri'i^ade. When we readied the banks of the Trent river we found 
the country road and railroad bridges burning, which rendered 
further immediate pursuit on our part impossible. The town, on the 
opposite bank, was in flames in many places, and soon the gunboats 
were busy carrying across some of General Foster's brigade. Their 
first duty was to save as much private property as possible, and pre- 
vent a destruction which the enemy insanely supposed woidd injin-e 



40 



HISTORY OF THE 



lis. Our battalion went into quarters in an abandoned artillery 
camp, and once more enjoyed a little rest." 

As an instance of how soldiers in time of war can accommodate 
themselves to circumstances, it may be stated that one of the shortest 
men in the battalion ensconced himself \n a manger, which was just 
large enough to admit his whole body. He lay down that night in 




Capt. James Moran. 



comfort compared to bis experience of the night before, and slei)t the 
sleep of the just. 

At this camp a soldier in one of the companies of the battalion 
found the following letter which was sent home and published in a 
Providence paper under the following heading: 

A BiLLETDOux FROM A Secesii DamseIv. — We copy for the amuse- 
ment of our readers, the following frank epistle found in the rebel camp 
at New Berne, by Mr. , of tlie Rhode Island Fifth. The war does 



FIFTH RHODK ISLAND HFAVV ARTILLERY. 41 

uot appear to work altogether satisfactorily to the Secesh fair one, and 
the writer does not conceal her discontent. We may presume that the 
rebel (as we suppose him to be) who received the effusion was not a 
little interested in it. It bears the appearance of repeated perusal. AVc 
give it verbatim : 

N C Chatham county 

January th 6 1862 

Dear Sir Accordin to promice I seat my self to anscer your kind letter 
witch came safe to hand witch found me well and this leave mc the same 
and cincerly hope these few lines may find you in Joying the same. 

I have nothing very interresting to wright only we have had the dulist 
times that I ever saw since you left old Chatham you don't know how 
thing has aulered sence you left here for tha isent a young man fit to 
look at but big Alfred and the girls hav looked at him so much they 
have became ugly we have had a verry sorrow Christmas tha liaseut 
binn but very few Wedding nor quilting and not much prospect of any 
more soon. I think if you all could come home and stay we would have 
some fun as we used to have in days thats past by and gone for I never 
expect to forget when last I saw you at Fall Creek so when this you see 
remember me tho many a mile a apart we be so I will close by remaining 
your cincer well wisher until death. 

From to 

Mr 

The following official report of Major Wright of tlie part taken by 
the Fifth l>attalion in the action is appended here: 

liCjtDit of Major John Wr'Kjht, Fifth Rhode Island Infantnj. 

IIdqrs. Fifth Eegt., E. I. Vols., 

Camp Pierce, Neav Berne, N. C, 
March IS, 18G2. 

Sir: I have the honor to submit to you the following report of the 
operations of the First Battalion of the Fifth Regiment Rhode Island 
Volunteers in the battle of the 14th instant. 

At the signal given from the brigade flag-ship, on the morning of the 
13th of March, 1862, the boats of the steam transports. Curlew and 
Eagle, in which the battalion was quartered, were cleared away, filled 
with men, and dispatched to the steamer Eastern Queen, at about 8 
o'clock. That forenoon I landed with three companies and a half, and 
with these took my position in line, according to orders, on the left of 
the Eighth Connecticut. I continued the march until I received orders 
to halt and bivouac for the night. About two the next morning the adju- 
tant l)rought the two remaining comi)anies into camp. At daybreak, the 
14th, I formed the battalion in line, awaiting orders, which soon came, 
and were to continue to follow on the left of the Eighth Connecticut. 
The column moved about 6.:3() o'clock, A. M., and passed slowly along the 



42 HISTORY OF THE 

route followed the clay before. Not long after the firing commenoed in 
front, and the orders came to keep well closed up. Soon after Captain 
D'Wolf came down the line and ordered us to close up, and we com- 
menced the doul)le-quick. 

After following the main road a short distance farther we turned off 
to the left and entered the woods. Just after we turned a cannon ball 
passed over our heads, which showed that we were approaching the 
battery, and caused us to press forward more eagerly to support the at- 
tack. After passing through a swampy place we came to a halt on the 
brow of a bluff, where we awaited further orders and the further move- 
ments of the Eighth Connecticut. As the bullets flew very thick over 
our heads we were ordered to lie down. When the Twenty-first Massa- 
chusetts was driven from the battery and the enemy made a sally the 
orders came to fix bayonets and prepare to receive a charge. We 
formed in line of battle, left in front, but as they were driven back be- 
fore we saw them, we continued as we were before that. Our orders 
were still to continue on the left of the Eighth Connecticut. At last 
the orders came to turn the right tlank of the enemy. We passed down 
into the hollow, filed off still farther to the left, and passed over another 
elevation, when we came to the railroad just l>elow the brick-yard. 
Then, with General Parke at our head, we pushed on, passed in rear of 
the breastworks of the enemy, and as we came upon the high oi)en 
ground l)ehind it we came under a raking fire from the rifle-pits across 
the railroad and the brick-yard, where the enemy lay in large force. 

We pushed on at the double-quick until we came under cover of the 
trees, where we formed in line of battle and prepared to charge on the 
enemy in the battery. As they had retired, I was ordered first to send 
one company and afterwards the whole battalion, and to proceed 
cautiously and find out what the firing was on our left. I sent the adju- 
tant ahead to find out the direction we should take. As it was pointed 
out by the general's aide. Lieutenant Lydig, we passed down into a 
hollow, and ascended the left-hand side cautiously until we reached the 
brow of the elevation, when we came in view of the enemy and immedi- 
ately opened upon them a brisk lire, which immediately had an effect, 
for their fire slackened and stopped when we ceased firing. We opened 
upon them two or three times afterward until we were afraid of firing 
upon the Fourth Rhode Island, who were advancing upon them on our 
right. When the Fourth charged upon them we ceased firing and 
awaited orders. 

It was on this hill that we met with the greater part of our loss. As 
we had no colors, I was ordered to fall in the rear of the Eighth Con- 
necticut, and, leaving a few to take care of the killed and wounded, we 
passed down to the railroad, and at 11 o'clock took up our line of march 
for the city of New Berne. When we reached the main road, which 
crossed the railroad, we turned to the left, and continued our march 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 43 

until we received orders to halt, and take possession of a rebel camp olt' 
to the right from the road, which had been occupied by rebel artillery. 

I am very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

JoHX Wright, 

Major Comg. First Bat. Fifth R. I. Vols. 
Charles T. Gardner, 

Asst. AJjt. Gen. 

Col. Ed. Graham Haywood, commanding the Seventh Regi- 
ment of North Carolina Infantry, made an official report of this 
action. It was embodied almost word for word in the official report 
of Gen. S. O'B. Branch, commanding all of the rebel troops in 
this battle. That portion of it relating to the assault made by the 
four companies of the Twenty-first Massachusetts under Lieutenant 
Colonel Clark, and the subsequent assault made by the Fourth 
Rhode Island, the First Battalion of the Fifth Rhode Island, and the 
Eighth Connecticut, is of such a character that it is interesting 
reading, to say the least. It is as follows : 

"They (his regiment) held their positions until flanked on the 
right by the enemy. They were then ordered to leave the trenches 
and charge bayonets upon the enemy, which they did, driving him 
beyond the breastw^orks with great slaughter, and retaking a section 
of Brem's battery which had fallen into their hands. I then held 
the breastworks until flanked again by the same direction, Avith a 
greatly increased force, some six or eight regiments, when I fell 
back into the woods in rear of Colonel Vance's camp and there 
formed. Seeing no hope of defeating the enemy, I then, with the 
command, retired from the field." 

The total loss in this battle was eight officers and eighty-two en- 
listed men killed, and twenty-eight officers and three hundred and 
fifty-two enlisted men wounded. In the battalion it was one officer. 
Lieutenant Henry R. Pierce, and one man, private Ryan, killed, and 
eight enlisted men wounded. 

The death of Lieutenant Pierce was regarded as almost an irre- 
parable loss in the battalion, so great was the love and esteem of 
both officers and men for him. Nor was this regard confined to his 



44 HISTORY OF THK 

immediate comrades, but it was shared by all who knew him at 
home or in the field. The folio wing deserved tribute to his worth 
is quoted from that standard history, Burnside and the Ninth 
Army Corps: "Lieutenant Henry R. Pierce was killed in the 
second charge upon the enemy's lines. He was a teacher, by 
profession, had applied for and received his commission in the finest 
spirit of duty. He was a man of very estimable and worthy 
character, of scholarly attainments, and of manly principles. He 
stood in the very front rank of his profession in the State of 
Rhode Island, and his death was felt as a public calamity by many 
who were beyond the circle of his personal friendship." 

We quote from Bartlett's llemoirs of Rhode Island Ojficers : 

" Lieut. Henry Reuben Pierce, sou of Warren Pierce, was born in Cov- 
entry, Yt., Jan. 20, 1828. From early life he was passionately fond of 
books, and spent a great part of his time in reading. He purchased the 
last three years of his minority, in order to concentrate his efforts and 
secure a good education. He found employment in Xortliampton, Mass., 
devoting his leisure hours to study: and entered Williston Seminary, at 
East Hampton, N". H., in 1846. In 1849, he left that institution, and im- 
mediately entered Amherst College, where lie graduated in 18.53. He 
soon commenced teaching school, but after two years entered the law 
office of Hon. Charles R. Train, of Framingham, Mass. But he seemed 
to have been fitted by nature for the offtce of the teacher, and he soon 
took charge of a high school in Uxbridgc. While fulfilling his engage- 
ment there he was married August, 1856, to Miss Ann Frances Tilliug- 
liast, of Hopkinton, Mass. Two children were the fruit of this mar- 
riage, one passing away in infancy, the other still surviving. In 1857, a 
more lucrative situation was offered him and he became principal of the 
high school at Woonsocket, R. I. Here he was winning golden opinions 
in his profession, and by his genial spirit in social life. But when the 
war cloud burst upon the country, his heart was stirred to its utmost 
depths, and he soon began to feel that he must offer his life upon its 
altar. He said he could not bear to think that, in his old age, his son 
should ask what his father did when the libertj' of his country was im- 
perilled, and that he must be obliged to confess he shunned the path of 
danger." .... 

A private soldier gives his account of the battle : 

" While crossing the brick-yard several of our men were hit. I 
had a blanket strapped across my shoulders which I valued quite 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 45 

highly as I had captured it on Roanoke Island.. We were foino- at 
the double-quick, and in some way it became unfastened and fell off. 
I did not stop to pick it up just then, as the rebel sharpshooters were 
peppering us quite lively. We came to a piece of woods where we 
formed line of battle. We subsequently moved to a position on a 
hill, where we caught sight of the enemy in our front, and were then 
ordered to commence iiring. 

" We were armed with the Enfield rifle and sabre bayonet, in 
my opinion one of the most unserviceable weapons ever put into a 
soldier's hands. We were compelled to stack arms with the ram- 
mers, and miless great care was exercised the stack would fall down. 
Besides, while on the double-quick the ungainly sabre bayonet would 
get tangled up with our legs and trip us oftentimes. They looked 
very line on dress parade, but were not of much account anywhere 
else, unless to stick a pig or chicken. AVe were glad to exchange them 
a few months later for the Enfield rifle musket with the ordinary 
bayonet. 

" When we began firing we found our rifles covered with rust, in 
consequence of the hard rains of the previous day and night, and in 
some instances it was impossible to draw the rammers from the 
pipes, 

" One of our sergeants thought he was wounded, and he quickly 
placed his hand where he supposed he was hit, but he soon discov- 
ered that the bullet had simply gone through the crackers in his hav- 
ersack. 

" The youngest soldier in my company was a mere lad of fifteen, 
whom it was thought might not be able to endure the test of battle, 
but it was observed that he stood up and fired his piece with tlie 
steadiness of a veteran. 

" But the saddest incident to me in this fight, was the death 
of my first lieutenant, Henry R. Pierce. Only a few moments 
before his death, he had been encouraging the men near him, 
and said to them, ' Boys, if you love your country, now is your 
time to show it ! ' Hardly had these words been uttered, when the 
fatal bullet struck him, and he fell to the ground saying, ' Oh ! 
dear ! ' and immediately expired." 



46 HISTORY OF THE 

An iuciclent Avhich occurred during the battle is thus related by a 
non-commissioned officer in Company A : 

"At one time it happened tliat Sergeant Brownell and myself 
went up on the hill together, I fired, and am not sure whether he had 
done so or not, when, as I turned to step back to the hollow, I saw 
him suddenly fall to the ground. For a moment I did not think of 
his being wounded, supposing he had tripped over the vines, which 
were somewhat thick on the ground, but he groaned and said, 
' They've hit me,' and I then saw that the blood was commencing to 
stain the leg of his blue trousers. Dropping my rifle, I knelt down 
and with my pocket knife cut open his trousers and saw that the 
blood was flowing freely from a wound in the fleshy part of the thigh. 
I knew that the thing most needed was to stop the copious flow of 
blood as soon as possible, so tying my handkerchief loosely around the 
wounded limb, I picked up a small stick of sufficient strength, and, 
passing it under the handkerchief, proceeded to ' take a twist ' in it, 
as we used to do at home, on a larger scale, upon a binding rope of 
our hay wagons. Continuing to twist, I found that the bleeding was 
checked, so I made fast one end of the stick, and by this time two of 
the drum corps appeared, and by them he was carried to the surgeon, 
who had established himself some distance in the rear." 

The following order was issued to the army on the day following 
the battle : 

Hdqks. Dept. of North Carolina, 

New Berxe, March 1.5, 1862. 
General Orders, No. 17. 

The general commaudiug congratulates his troops on their brilliant 
and hard-won victory of the 14th. Their courage, their patience, their 
endurance of fatigue, exposure, and toil, cannot be too highly praised. 
After a tedious march, dragging their howitzers by hand through 
swamps and thickets; after a sleepless night, passed in a drenching rain, 
they met the enemy in his chosen position, found him protected by 
strong earthworks, mounting many and heavy guns, and although in an 
open field themselves, the}- conquered. With such soldiers advance is 
victory. 

The general coramauding directs with peculiar pride that, as a well 
deserved tribute to valor in this second victory of the expedition, each 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 47 

regiment engaged shall inscribe on its banner the memorable name 
"Xew Berne." 

By command of Brig.-Gen. A. E, BURXSTDE, 

Lewis Eiciimoxd, 

Assistant Adjutant-General. 

In his report to the Secretary of War. General Burnside pays this 
tribute to the dead : 

"Among these names are some of our most valuable officers and 
men. They are sad losses to us and to their relatives and friends. 
They nobly gave up their lives in defence of their country, and a 
debt of gratitude is due from every American citizen to the wives, 
mothers and fathers who have laid such sacrifices on the altar of 
their country. The memories of these brave dead will ever be green 
in the hearts of tlieir countrymen, and the scars of the wounded will 
be honorable passports to thera through life." 

The battalion camp was named Camp Pierce in his honor. 
Of the wounded men Surgeon Potter, under the date of March ISth, 
writes : " Two have since died, and two more probably will die of 
their wounds." All of the medical reports speak of tlie unusually 
severe nature of the wounds received in this battle. 

In his official report General Burnside says: " Some of the re- 
suits of this battle may be enumerated as follows : "The capture of 
nine forts, with forty-one heavy guns ; two miles of intrenchments. 
with nineteen field pieces ; six thirty-two pounders not in position ; 
over 3(>0 prisoners ; over 1,000 stand of small arms ; tents and ba;*- 
racks for 10,000 troops; a large amount of ammunition and army 
supplies ; an immense amount of naval stores ; the second commercial 
city in North Carolina, and the entire command of the Albemarle 
and Pamlico Sounds." And to show that there was no vaunting in 
thus noticing the great results of this victory, and as an evidence of 
the widespread alarm General Buruside's progress caused all grades 
of Confederates in authority, we give the following dispatch, sent by 
the rebel secretarv of war to the governor of North Carolina : 



48 HISTORY OF THE 

PaCHMOXD, Va., 

March 15, 1862. 
Governor Henry T. Clark, Raleigh : 

Large reinforcements are immediately requisite for the defense of 
your State. Call on your people to arm in the defense of their homes. 
Send all the men you can to Weldon as rapidly as possible. I will find 
means to arm them all. I pray you to allow no time to be lost. 

J. P. Benjamin, 

Secretary of War. 

We also quote from General Parke's official report : 

" During the hard and fatiguing march of the 13th and the try- 
ing bivouac of that night, not a murmur was heard. On the morn- 
ing of the 14th all seemed as fresh and as ready as if they had just 
left the most comfortable encampment. All were under fire, and the 
officers seemed proud of the men they were leading, and the men 
showed they had full confidence in their officers." 

Such was the battle of New Berue, and such is a brief narrative 
of the share borne by our battalion in achieving it. It must be borne 
in mind all the time, that a regiment is the real unit in the military 
organization of any force as large or larger than a brigade, and 
therefore a battalion composed of a few companies has not even the 
right to carry tiie national colors into action ; that it is always 
" hitched on " to some other regiment in all movements of the regi- 
ment, brigade or division to which it is attached ; that in a military 
sense it has no being. Hence, in the general course of events, it 
marches and fights almost unnoticed, unless by some fortunate cir- 
cumstance, some chance independent action, it gains the special 
mention and commendation of the general officers in command. 
By this time every member of the battalion was aware of the heavy 
handicap it carried in this race where thousands of the most am- 
bitious and courageous men were entered. In this connection an au- 
tograpli letter of a little later date, written by Governor Sprague to 
Major Wright must be its own excuse for quoting it here : 



fifth rhode island heavy artillery. 49 

Camp before Yorktown, Va., 

April 28th, 1862. 
Major : 

Yours of the 7th iust. is just at hand. I have just written a letter 
to Lieutenant Chapman in reply to a request in your behalf to increase 
your battalion to a regiment. 

I read with much interest your account of the part taken by your com- 
mand in the battle of Xew Berne. In behalf of the State permit me to 
express to you and to your officers and men my thanks for the courage 
and activity displayed by them in that battle. Rhode Island appreciates 
the sacrifices made by her soldiers in battling for the institutions of our 
fathers. A grateful and admiring people will do ample justice to every 
act of courage displayed by you and your command. 

Respectfully yours, 

William Sprague. 
To Major John Wright, 

Fifth B. I. V, Burnside Corps. 

The day after the battle was spent in rest and quiet, excepting 
that a detail from the battalion visited the battlefield and buried our 
dead with suitable services. The usual parting volleys were fired 
over their graves, and we sadly returned to camp, reflecting on the 
loss of brave comrades, who, but a short time before, were among us 
full of health and vigor. 

The body of Lieutenant Pierce was afterwards sent home to 
Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where it was buried with military honors 
on the 29th of April, 1862. 

It may be well to state here that the bravery, excellent drill and 
good discipline shown by the battalion on all occasions had attracted 
deserved attention at home. The ladies of Doctor Hall's church, 
the First Congregational, decided that the Fifth should have a full 
stand of colors. Major Joseph Balch, always one of the best and 
firmest of friends to the battalion whose infancy he had watched over, 
gave efficient aid to the project, and in a short time a beautiful and 
costly set of colors was forwarded to the battalion. They arrived 
in North Carolina while we were actively engaged in the events whicii 
will be narrated in the following chapter. 
4 



CHAPTER V. 



FROM NEW BERNE TO FORT MACON. 
Siege and Capture of that Fort. 

GENERAL FOSTER was appointed Military Governor of 
New Berne on the 15th of March, and at once entered 
upon tlie duty of I'estoring order and insuring safety in tliat 
city. Tlie same order further directed him to see that " the churches 
be opened at a suitable hour to-morrow (Sunday) in order that the 
chaplains of the different regiments may hold Divine service in them. 
The bells will be rung as usual." A later order assigned to Gen- 
erals Foster and Reno the duty of guarding all the land approaches to 
the town, and at once the necessary steps were taken to construct a 
line of defensive works that subsequently made the town impregna- 
ble to any attack within the power of the Confederates to make. As 
soon as the proper steps had been taken to secure the safety of New 
Berne, the commanding general set about obeying the general order 
directing the successive steps of his campaign. The first thing now 
to be done was the occupation of Morehead City and Beaufort, and 
the reduction of Fort Macon, which guarded the entrance to the lat- 
ter port. The reduction of Fort Macon would open a safe harbor 
to vessels of greater tonnage than could enter the sound by Hatteras 
Inlet. From New Berne to Beaufort by rail and by county road 
was about forty miles, and no opposition was expected except from 
the garrison of Fort Macon, as the capture of New Berne had cut 
off the rebel forces at these places from their base of supplies, and 
compelled their instant retreat by country roads to the southwest, in 
order to avoid destruction or capture. 

The Third brigade. General Parke, was selected to occupy these 
places and invest and capture the fort. 

The following sketch of our brigade commander. General Parke 
is taken from Woodbury's Buraside and the Nintli Army Corps : 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEVVY ARTILLERY. 51 

" JoHX G. Parke -was bom in Peimsylvauia. in 1S2T. and ccrarluated. 
second in his class of forty-three members, at the Military Academy at 
West Point, in 1849. He was appointed brevet second-lieutenant, July 
1, 18-19, in the corps of topographical engineers. As a member of this 
corps, he had performed, previous to the rebellion, distinguished services 
in different parts of the country, particularly in the west and southwest. 
He had acted as secretary of the light house board and of the river and 
harbor improvement board. He had also been active in the operations 
upon the plains of the west, in New Mexico, in the Boundary Commis- 
sion, and the surveys of the routes of the Pacific Railroad. In 1851, he 
prepared a map of Xew Mexico, which is declared to have been " a care- 
ful compilation of all the available and reliable information in relation 
to New Mexico which could be obtained at that date from trappers and 
hunters, as well as from actual survey. It was prepared by Lieutenant 
Parke, while in that country, by order of brevet Colonel John Munroe, 
United States Army, commanding Xinth Military Department. Dur- 
ing the same year he accompanied Captain Sitgreaves on an exploring 
expedition from Santa Fe to San Diego. In 1653, he assisted Lieutenant 
E. S. Williamson in a survey through the passes of the Sierra Xevada 
and Coast Eange. The expedition occupied three months' time, and in 
the course of it. Lieutenant Parke conducted an independent expedition 
to Los Angeles, the San Gabriel and Santa Anna valleys. 

"In 1854, Liei;tenant Parke made a successful reconnoissancefor a rail- 
road route between Punas village and El Paso. He left San Diego on the 
24th of January, with a party of twenty-three men and an escort of 
twenty-eight dragoons, under Lieutenant Stoneman, and made a careful 
examination of the country, from the Gila Paver to the Pdo Grande, trav- 
eling by way of Tucson, San Xavier, Rio San Pedro, Chiricahui Moun- 
tains, and Fort Fillmore. The report of the expedition is published in 
the second volume of the Pacific Railroad Reports, and is a very valuable 
statement respecting the characteristics of the country through which 
the journey was made, and its facilities for the construction of the pro- 
posed road. Advanced to his next grade July 1, 185(3, Lieutenant Parke 
became, in 1857, the astronomer of the Xorthwest Boundary Commission 
for establishing the line between the United States and British America. 
In all these positions, he was distinguished for the patient fidelity, mod- 
est, yet manly bearing and firmness in the discharge of duty which have 
characterized him in later years. In his early professional life he laid 
the foundations of a solid, substantial reputation, which has never been 
weakened, but has continually strengthened in his subsequent career. 

" Lieutenant Parke's maps, contained in the eleventh volume of the 
Pacific Railroad reports, are models of accuracy and clearness of delinea- 
tion. He had richly deserved his promotion to a captaincy in his corps, 
which he received on his arrival at \7ashington, his commission dating 
September 9, ISGl." 



52 HISTORY OF THE 

General Parke was promoted to brigadier-general of volunteers 
Nov. 23, 1861 ; major-general, July 8, 1862 ; brevet major-gen- 
eral, United States Army, March 13, 1865 ; lieutenant-colonel of 
engineers, March 4, 1879 ; colonel, March 17, 1884. He has also 
been superintendent of the United States Military Academy at "West 
Point. He was placed on the retired list, July 2, 1889. 

Our brigade was to move by water to Slocum's Creek landing and 
march thence by land. This movement commenced on the 19th and 
comprised all of the brigade, except that the Fifth Rhode Island 
Battalion was ordered to march along the railroad, which it did, 
reaching Havelock Station, some twelve miles out, one and a half 
miles from Slocum's landing, and there bivouacking for the night. 
The march proved excessively fatiguing to the men, as they had to 
step from tie to tie on the road bed, and also run the hand-cars con- 
taining their supplies. The rest of the brigade resumed its march 
on the morning of the 21st. 

"While at Havelock James Mclntyre, a musician of Company 
B, met with a singular accident. It happened in this wise : 
Comrade Mclntyre was lying under a tree, when a neighbor- 
ing tree which was being felled by one of our soldiers, suddenly 
came to the ground, and in some unaccountable manner a ragged 
limb of the tree struck Comrade Mclntyre in the arm near the shoul- 
der, completely pinning him to the ground, and the limb had to be 
sawed off before he could be extricated from his perilous position. 
Surgeon Potter attended to him and alleviated his sufferings, but he 
eventually obtained his discharge from the army in consequence of 
this injury. 

On the 22d, three companies of the battalion, A, B, and C, pro- 
ceeded to Newport City, leaving Companies D and E at Havelock 
as a guard. Company D remained at this place several days, and 
then marched to Newport City and joined the battalion. 

Captain Arnold's company (E) was stationed at Havelock, near 
an abandoned grist-mill, the machinery of which the rebels had at- 
tempted to destroy Avhen they left that neighborhood. The mechan- 
ics of the Fifth, under the direction of Captain Arnold, soon put it 
in running order again, and it was found very serviceable to the 
comfort and subsistence of the men. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 



53 



During the halt of the battaliou at Havelock Station the advance 
of the brigade had occupied Morehead City and Beaufort, and liad 
already commenced preparations for investing Fort Macon, General 




Capt. Charles H. Chapman, 

Formerhj Adjutant Fifth lihofle Island Volunteers. 
(From a recent picture.; 

Parke having established his headquarters at Carolina City. On 
the night of the 2od the brigade had closed up, and the three com- 
panies of the Fifth Battalion were established in an abandoned camp 
at Newport City. The railroad bridge over the Newport River at 
this place had been completely burned by a detachment sent up from 



54 HISTORY OF THE -^ 

Fort Macon, on the 18th, and the Fifth Battalion had received or- 
ders to remain there and rebuild it. Every locality in that country 
which contained as much as a blacksmith shop and a store, the prin- 
cipal staple in trade of which was always chain-lightning whiskey, 
was dubbed a city and looked upon as a future metropolis. Such is 
Morehead City, Carolina City, and Newport City, all within a dis- 
tance of scarcely a dozen miles. 

The barracks at Newport City, which the Fifth Battalion had in- 
herited from the enemy, were the most comfortable the men had ever 
seen. The first day of their stay was devoted to policing their new 
quarters, and the next day, March 24th, the work of rebuilding the 
bridge commenced in earnest. And here began one of those opera- 
tions which deserves more than a passing mention. Later in the war 
they were common enough, because regiments and battalions of se- 
lected mechanics had been organized and thoroughly equipped for 
this kind of work, and practice soon made these " engineers and 
mechanics " adepts in using every device to accomplish their purpose ; 
and in no instance is there any record of a failure of the structure to 
do the work designed. But in this case the circumstances were far 
ditferent. Everything to work with had to be secured where it 
could be found. With that faith in the ability of any regiment of 
New England men to do anything they were set to do, the general 
in command ordered Major Wright to march his battalion to New- 
port City and rebuild a railway bridge 180 feet long over a deep tidal 
river. Up to this time it was a feat without a parallel in the history 
of the war. Until it was completed neither rations, guns, ammuni- 
nition, nor material could be supplied to the troops or used in the 
reduction of Fort Macon, for General Burnside had not yet been 
supplied with land transportation of any kind. And this " building 
of the bridge," matter of fact subject though it was, when one 
thinks most of sieges and battles, is worthy of notice at some length. 
One officer tells of it briefly enough: "On the 24th the tools were 
collected, the men set energetically to work, and they had the bridge 
completed so that the first loaded car passed over it on the 29th." 
"It was a very commendable job," he modestly adds, " considering 
the difficulties we had to encounter, and the lack of suitable appli- 
ances. While doing this we also engaged in regular guard and 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 55 

picket duty. Once or twice the long roll was beaten in camp at 
night, and once we had to fight a forest fire that seriously threatened 
the destruction of our barracks. It came very close on two sides, 
and the sight of the tall pines, with turpentine covering their scraped 
sides, forming a column of fire as tall as themselves, was very im- 
pressive when seen in the stillness of a gloomy night on the low coast 
of North Carolina by those who had never seen anything of the kind 
before." Evidently that camp atforded enough to keep the mind 
busy, if nothing else. " General Burnside gladdened us all by his 
presence the other day, and expressed his pleasure at the progress 
we had made." 

Work of this kind does not receive the mention it deserves, and 
yet it is just as essential to the success of a campaign as a charge on 
the enemy, and the fact that a battalion, organized with no thought 
of its performing work of this special nature, had the men with the 
brain and skill to do it speedily and successfully, as well as march, 
and fight, and charge with the sturdiest and boldest in the army, is 
even a greater honor than to lead a forlorn hope. To show how this 
feat of mechanical skill was regarded outside of the battalion and 
brigade, and also to give a picture of camp life in North Carolina, 
another account is here given, written from New Berne, April 2d : 

" The Fifth Rhode Island Battalion, Major V/right commanding, is at 
Newport City, engaged in building au important railroad bridge at that 
place, which was burned by the enemy four days after the battle and one 
day before our troops reached it. The bridge was ISO feet long, and 
was .completely destroyed. The Major set to work upon it with his 
accustomed energy, as it was essential to the investment of Fort Macon 
that siege artillery and supplies should be transported over the road. 
The oificers and men worked night and day to accomplish this, and their 
labors are appreciated by their superior officers. 

"As I am a Rhode Islander myself, of course I feel considerable inter- 
est in the Rhode Island boys. During the last week it has been my good 
fortune to spend two nights with the battalion at their post. Camp Gra- 
ham, and it was almost like getting home to find myself surrounded 
by old friends, and greeted with a Rhode Island welcome. The battalion 
is in a very good condition, and they are comfortably located in log huts, 
a large number of which Avere kindly left by the rebels, who had erected 
and previously occupied them. 

" Major Wright, Captains Eddy and Wheeler, Dr. Potter, the able sur- 
geon of the battalion, and other officers whom I have not time to men- 



56 HISTORY OF THE 

tiou particularly, have laid me under lasting obligations bj- tlieir kind- 
ness. They found me a stranger in a strange land, and they made me at 
home amongst them. 

"One of the most popular attaches of this battalion is Dr. Frank 
Diggs, cook and caterer for Dr. Potter's mess, and whose fame is well 
established in Providence. He certainly can get up a repast in an ene- 
my's countrj' which would do credit to a culinarj' artist in the most civ- 
ilized locality. To him I am indebted, and I here return my thanks for 
the most excellent repasts I have yet found in this benighted land of se- 
cession. 'Long may he wave I ' and may he return safely to his home to 
again tickle the palates of his PJiode Island friends. 

" Night before last I spent with the battalion, and, during the night 
there was an alarm from the pickets, the long roll was beaten, and in 
five minutes' time every soldier was in his place and ready for the attack. 
But there was none, and after an hour or two the men were dismissed to 
their quarters, with orders to sleep on their arms, reports having been 
brought in of the presence of rebel cavalry within a few miles of camp. 
The promptitude with which they turned out reflects credit upon their 
ofScers for the thoroughness of their drill and preparation." 

V^e Avill let a comrade relate his experience on picket in these 
lonelj woods of North Carolina: "My first tour of picket duty 
occurred hei-e. I was detailed with one of rav comrades as an ad- 
vance picket about one mile from camp. Our post was situated in a 
dense pine forest, and it rained nearly all that day and the following 
night. When the darkness came on it was peculiarly unpleasant and 
dreary to us. The soldier at such times can draw pretty largely on 
his imagination, especially if the enemy have been accustomed to 
visit the locality. Everything appeared to assume a weird and 
strange appearance. Our imaginations would see in every stump a 
rebel, and the hogs that run at large through the forests of North 
Carolina, appeared in the darkness like men coming towards us. 
These hogs were not like our well fed porkers at the north, con- 
fined in pens, but were lean and lank, with their owners' marks 
branded upon them. They were turned out to gather Avhat food 
they could obtain in the woods." 

Another visitor at the headquarters of the Fifth at Newport City, 
was no less a personage than Henry M. Stanley, the distinguished 
African explorer, but at that time a representative of one of the lead- 
ing New York dailies. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTILLKRV. 57 

At this time the Third brigade consisted of but three and one-half 
regiments, and the task assigned it was to invest Fort Macon and 
guard the raih-oad as far north as Havelock Station against the 
small bauds of Confederate cavalry that infested the country to the 
west. General Parke therefore asked for an additional regiment, 
and the Ninth New Jersey Infantry was ordered to join him at Caro- 
lina City. It reached the camp of the Fifth Battalion at Newport 
City on the evening of March 30th. A promise had been made to 
Major Wright that as soon as the bridge was completed the battalion 
should be relieved and join the brigade. Here was the opportunity 
of getting the desired relief, and, taking a hand-car, the major was 
soon in Carolina City explaining the situation. He quickly returned 
with an order that the Ninth New Jersey should relieve the bat- 
talion of the duty of guarding the bridge and road, and that the 
latter should join the brigade without delay. The fourth day of April 
saw the battalion on the march, and that night it encamped at 
Carolina City, where the men had a view of Fort Macon, over 
which floated the rebel ensign. 

Immediately south of Cape Lookout the coast trends still more to 
the southwest for a long distance. Here the strip of sand beach 
along the ocean is narrower and more broken by inlets, and the 
sounds are narrower than those further north. Bogue Island, just 
south of Cape Lookout, is one of these sandy beaches, in local ver- 
nacular " Banks," about twenty-five miles long. " On these banks 
tliere is quite a population for such a forsaken locality. They live by 
fishing, piloting, and wrecking ; raising a few ponies, hogs, sweet pota- 
toes, and a little corn. The soil — if it can be called such, — is sand. 
There is a growth of stunted trees of several varieties, all present- 
ing the peculiarity of having large branches on the landward side, 
and very diminutive ones on the side toward the sea, caused by the 
prevailing winds, which seem to blow back into the tree every bud 
that attempts to struggle into life on the exposed side. To add to 
the general attractiveness of the '^ Banks " the sand is blown into 
dunes and hills, which shift as the direction and force of the winds 
change. Brackish water can be found on the levels at the depth of a 
few inches by merely scooping out a hole with a tin dipper or i)an." 

On the northeastern extremity of Bogue " Bank " was Fort Ma- 



58 



HISTORY OF THE 



con. It was ca regular work, mounting sixty-seven guns in all, 
casemated with stone on the water front, while on the land side the 
walls were constructed of brick. On this side the guns were 
mounted en barbette, and defended by the usual ditch, with a glacis 
which afforded a field for fire against an assaulting column. The 
garrison had undermined and thrown down the light-house, leveled a 
number of adjacent buildings, and made every possible preparation 




Fort Macon, N. C. 



to give an attacking force the warmest reception in their power to 
bestow. The fort commanded the entrance to Beaufort and More- 
head City harbors. These places were on the mainland. The chan- 
nel would admit vessels drawing seventeen feet of water. Morehead 
City was the eastern terminus of the Atlantic and North Carolina 
Railroad, which, as has been stated, crossed the Richmond and Wil- 
mington line at Goldsboro. The possession of these harbors secured 
a second and very safe base, by way of the railroad, for New Berne. 
The garrison of Fort Macon consisted of about five hundred men, 
under the command of Colonel White, a brave and resolute oflficer. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 59 

He had reported to General Branch that he had supplies for sixty 
days, and that he could and would hold the fort for an indefinite time 
longer than that. General Parke was then, as he is now, one of the 
best and most accomplished engineers in our army. To him was 
assigned the task of reducing the fort by siege, while the navy block- 
aded it by water. It had been hoped that the Confederate com- 
mander, when he saw the force brought against him, by land and 
water, would capitulate. As soon as General Parke reached Caro- 
lina City, he summoned Colonel White to surrender. The rebel 
commander declined, and at one time he seriously thought of firing 
on Beaufort when it Avas first occupied by our forces. The people 
there seemed to be about equally divided on the question of loyalty, 
and welcomed our troops, in many instances with seeming cordiality. 
It was remarked at the time, as an encouraging fact, that on the 
Sunday following the occupation of Beaufort, prayers for the Presi- 
dent of the United States were read in the Episcopal church of the 
town, and responded to Avith marked emphasis. 

It was the work done by the Fifth Rhode Island in rebuilding the 
railroad bridge at Newport City Avhich made the siege of Fort Macon 
possible. At once the guns, ammunition, and other material neces- 
sary in the investment were brought down from New Berne and Slo- 
cum's Landing. While the work on the bridge was still going on 
the preparatory steps of the siege were taken. 

The Fifth Battalion crossed on the 6th of April. The investing 
force on the island then consisted of eight companies of the Fourth 
Rhode Island ; seven comj)anies of the Eighth Connecticut ; the 
Fifth Rhode Island Battalion ; Company C, First United States Ar- 
tillery, and Company I, Third New York Artillery. 

General Parke found here Avhat General Gilmore afterwards found 
on Morris and James Islands, near Charleston, long, low ridges of 
sand, behind which the troops could work almost unmolested by the 
enemy's fire. 

Having established camps for the men, the next thing was to fix 
sites for the siege batteries, and to do this it Avas first necessary to 
drive in the enemy's pickets. This was done on the 11th of April. 
A press correspondent thus described the operation at the time : 



60 HISTORY OF THE 

" Major Wright, in command of the Fifth Rhode Island, witli Com- 
pany G of the Fourtli Rliode Island, under the command of Lieutenant 
Bowen, advanced from their camp early in the mornino-, and drove in 
the pickets of the enemy, which have until to-day maintained their po- 
sition two miles from the fort, on ' Bogue Beach.' I crossed over from 
Beaufort in time to witness the little skirmish which accompanied the 
movement. The rebel pickets fell back as our line advanced, stopping 
three times to return our fire. The gunboat State of Georgia fired three 
or four shells in the direction of the retreating pickets, which materially 
quickened their movements. The fort replied to these shots, but our 
gunboat was out of reach, and therefore was not struck. When our 
forces were within about one mile, a thirty-pounder shell was fired at 
them, which passed harmlessly over their heads and exploded, doing no 
harm. The enemy's pickets took shelter within the fort." 

Under the date of the 12th, the same writer adds : 

" The regular siege operations for the reduction of Fort Macon may 
date from yesterdaj' morning. The guns in the fort were all manned, 
the troops were formed in order of battle, and everything made ready 
for the expected assault. West of the fort, beginning at the distance of 
about one thousand yards, is a series of sandy ridges, which generally 
lie north and south, and afford a line of natural breastworks, behind 
which our advancing forces can find shelter. The gunltoats withdrew 
out of range towards evening, and operations ceased for the night. Dur- 
ing the night, however, the commander of the fort again threw out his 
pickets, in order to be sure of what Major Wright might be doing." 

The sites for the siege batteries were selected, the work of 
building them went steadily on, and every preparation was thor- 
oughly made. AYhen completed they were composed as follows : 
One of four ten-inch mortars ; one of four eight-inch mortars ; one 
of three thirty-pounder Parrots, and one containing a twelve-pound 
rifled Dalghren naval howitzer. In these operations the battalion 
found itself again placed at a vexatious disadvantage, for it had to 
take its turn every third day in the work of constructing the batteries 
and guarding the trenches just the same as one of the full regiments ; 
and each regiment, when it became its turn for duty, had to march 
from its camp along the beach some four miles to relieve the 
regiment which had completed its twenty-fours hours of labor. 

A soldier thus speaks of the situation in the trenches at this time : 
" When our turn came to take our tour of duty in the trenches, Ave 
would proceed along the beach, and when we had approached within 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTILLERV. 



61 



range of the guns of the fort, the rebels would send us their compli- 
ments in the shape of shot and shell. After taking the places 
assigned us in the trenches, one man was stationed on lookout duty 
near the top of the rifle-pit, while the others would remain below. 
When the lookout saAv the flash of the rebel guns he would sino- out 




Lieut. J. M. Wheaton. 



' Down I ' the men taking to the rifle-pit like a woodchuck to itsjiole, 
and would remain there until the shot had passed over. 

" What a queer sensation comes over one when he hears the noise 
of a shell just let loose from a gun, the whizzing through the air, and 
its final explosion and separation into many pieces. It is mighty un- 
pleasant to say the least, as many an old soldier can testify, as you 
never can tell where the plaguy thing will drop, or what damage 
it may do to you before it has completed its mission." 



62 HISTORY OF THE 

The supplies for the whole force were landed from a schooner, an- 
chored off the camps, in the ocean. They were usually brought off 
by Lieut. J. M. "Wheaton in a whale-boat, manned by a crew from 
his company, E. They soon became very expert in their exciting 
and dangerous labor of running their deep-laden boat through the 
surf and high up the beach, without wetting their cargo of bread, 
coffee, and sugar. And this valuable service was soon rewarded by 
the promotion of Lieutenant Wheaton. 

In order to give timely notice of any sortie from the fort, Avhich 
an energetic garrison might now be expected to make to retard the 
construction of the siege batteries, an advance post was established 
within about five hundred yards of the fort, on the night of the 20th. 
The men dug a small rifle-pit, a few yards long, in the sand, and took 
shelter behind it. The garrison, so long as they regarded it as a 
mere post, did not pay much attention to it. On the morning of the 
22d, a detail from the Fifth Rhode Island of sixteen men, com- 
manded by Lieut. James Moran, were ordered to relieve the men on 
duty at this post. At the same time the rebel officers in the fort 
seemed to have become suspicious of the friendly intention of the 
squad of men who daily sunned themselves behind their little breast- 
w^ork of sand. Lieutenant Moran moved up under cover of the 
sand ridges to within about 200 yards of the post. From that point 
there was nothing but a stretch of level beach to be passed over be- 
fore he reached the cover of the little rifle-pit. With the men at 
"trail arms " and on the " double-quick," they filed out on the 
beach to make the rush, when they were greeted with a storm of 
shell, the enemy opening upon them with every gun bearing on that line 
of approach to the fort. That " double-quick" became a dead run, 
and luckily Lieutenant Moran and his men reached their cover be- 
fore the guns could be fired again. The fire from the fort was now 
steady and persistent, and the men who had been relieved could only 
get away by running, one or two at a time, between shots, to the 
cover of the sand ridges. At the end of an hour the last man had 
gone, and not a single casualty had occurred. Gradually the rebel 
gunners obtained a better range, and at one time two shells struck 
immediately in front of the little breastwork at the same moment, 
and, exploding, they fairly buried the little Rhode Island squad under 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEA.VY ARTILLERY. 63 

an avalanche of sand. The only damage was a ruined shoe on one 
of the men from a piece of shell. One of the gunners in the fort 
afterwards said that he watched these shells, and, thinking thev had 
fallen short, he caused the guns to be elevated again. It was an act 
of thoughtfulness for which Lieutenant Moran heartily thanked him. 
So severe was this fire that the men could not be relieved until the 
night of the 24th. During these trying hours these brave men had 
the pangs of thirst added to the cravings of hunger. 

A soldier of this company says : " "When we received the order 
to move forward to occupy this advanced post, I watched my oppor- 
tunity to run along the beach when the fire from the fort had appar- 
ently slackened. I started on the double-quick, and when about 
half way to the post, I saw a solid shot roll by me on the beach. Its 
force was almost spent, and it seemed like a foot-ball as it passed me. 
It is needless to say I did not put my foot out to stop it. When I 
reached the place where Lieutenant Moran was stationed, he directed 
me to take three men and go several yards in front of our position as 
an advanced picket. We moved to the place designated, and re- 
mained there in an almost prone position for forty-eight hours, until 
relieved. You can imagine that this extended tour of duty somewhat 
detracted from the romance of war." 

An incident occurred during the siege which it may not be inap- 
propriate to mention. A soldier named James Ballou in Company 
D, had been detailed as company cook, and it was his privilege to 
remain in camp attending to his duties while the battalion was in the 
trenches. For some reason he was relieved from his position as 
cook, and the next time the company went to the front, he accompa- 
nied it. He had been in the trenches but a short time when a shell 
from the enemy came over, and exploded in unpleasant proximity to 
us. A portion of the shell struck the shoe of Comrade Ballou, pene- 
trating through and severing the big toe from the foot, and resulted 
in his discharge from the service a few months later. 

On the 23d General Parke reported everything read}' to open fire, 
and General Burnside came down from New Berue to superintend 
the final operations. Up to this time not a shot had been fired from 
our batteries. Again General Burnside demanded the surrender of 
the fort, and again the rebel commander refused in the briefest lati- 



64 HISTORY OF THE 

guage. On the 2'tth the gunboats drew in and opened fire on the 
fort, and were replied to with the greatest vigor. After this contest 
had continued about an hour, a gale sprang up, the fleet withdrew 
out of range, and operations were suspended for that day. The next 
morning General Parke's land batteries opened on the fort. AVith 
the aid of tlie signal officers, stationed across the channel on the 
mainland, and who watched the flight and fall of the shells with their 
glasses, the mortars soon obtained a range so accurate that every one 
of their shells fell inside of the fort, while the thirty-pounder Parrots 
swept the rampart*, where the guns were en barbette, with a storm 
of shot and shell that nothing could withstand. General Foster had 
once been stationed at Fort Macon as an engineer officer, superin- 
tending repairs, and he was therefore thoroughly acquainted with all 
of the construction of it. It had been planned solely with the view of 
defending the entrance to Beaufort harbor. The walls on the land- 
ward side were made of brick, and the magazine had been placed in 
this rear wall. The general made a plan of the fort, and it was 
given to Captain Morris of the regular army, commanding the siege 
batteries. Soon after the firing commenced he trained his Parrot 
guns so as to have his solid shot just graze the crest of the counter- 
scarp and strike the scarp wall just back of the magazine. At first 
the enemy replied with great spirit, but it was not long before their 
zeal abated, and their return fire on the land side grew weaker and 
weaker. Still Captain Morris kept boring away at the magazine, oc- 
casionally sending in a shell to see if he had reached it. Before sun- 
down seventeen of their guns had been dismounted or otherwise 
disabled. Great breaches had been made in the scai-p walls, a crack 
twelve feet long showed on the inside wall of the magazine, and a 
shell might pierce it any moment and explode the five tons of powder 
in it, while the ramparts had been swept clean of men. To longer 
hold out when there was no possibility of any human succor, was 
simply a useless waste of human life, and, at the close of the day, a 
white flag was placed on the walls of Fort Macon. 

Vei*y early on the morning of the 26th the Fifth Rhode Island re- 
lieved the Eighth Connecticut in the trenches, and thus being on duty, 
as well as nearer to the fort, the honor of being the first troops to 
enter it and participate in the formal surrender of the rebel garrison 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 



65 



WHS accorded to our battalion. This was also the most fitting oppor- 
tunity to present the colors, the right to bear which the battalion had 
so well and bravely won. Lieut. William W. Douglas volunteered 
to bring them, and, mounting a horse, he galloped away to camp, and 
speedily returned to the waiting officers and men. An eye witness 
thus describes the stirring scenes of that mornino; : 




Capt. Charles Taft. 

"From our advanced position with the pickets of the Fifth Rhode 
Island, we were observant spectators of the negotiations going on be- 
tween General Burnside and Colonel White. At length the general, 
accompanied by General Parke and Captains Biggs and King, was des- 
cried coming from the fort. They walked leisurely down the beach and 
gave us the glorious news of the final surrender. General Burnside or- 
dered the Fifth to form in line, and at the command of Major Wright 
the various companies defiled from their positions and formed upon the 
5 



6G HISTORY OF THE 

beach, where, after a short review, the general unfurled the new colors 
of the battalion, just sent from the State of Rhode Island, and bearing 
the words ' Roanoke,' and ' New Berne,' and handed them to the color 
sergeants (Sergt. Charles Taft, and Sergt. Amos B. Sherman), who took 
their places at the head of the column, which was formed in the follow- 
ing order: 
General Burnside, General Parke, Captain Biggs, and Captain King. 
Major Wright. 
The Colors. 
Battalion Fifth Rhode Island Volunteers. 
Staff. 
Members of the Press. 
" The column, as it moved along the edge of the shore, with the bright, 
new banners flapping their folds as if in defiance of the rebel flag, which 
was still floating over the fort, presented a veryi^leasing sight. Coming 
to the southerly slope of the fort, the column filed left, and rounding 
the edge of the greensward, entered the sallyport. Ascending to the 
rami)arts, the battalion marched once around the fort, with their ban- 
ners still before them. The companies were then assigned to their re- 
spective places, and the ceremony of taking possession had ended, with 
the exception of hauling down the rebel flag. This was soon performed. 
The halyards were loosed, and the bunting came to the ground. It had 
been made out of the old United States garrison flag of the fort, with 
the stars withdrawn to suit the number of the revolted States." 

Where to get a national flag to raise in place of the rebel flag 
which had just been lowered, was now a question of some import- 
ance, how it was obtained an officer who was present must tell : 

" When Major Wright, with some other officers assembled at the flag- 
staff, he asked the Confederate officer who was present if he knew the 
whereabouts of the usual large United States garrison flag, that should 
be somewhere in the fort. The officer did not know, but said he would 
inquire. He did so, with the result of finding a comparatively new flag, 
which was forthwith bent to the halyards. By this time ' Joe Greene,' 
a character well known throughout Rhode Island, and even more widely 
known as a bugler of unsurpassed skill, had entered the fort. He w^as 
the leader of the band of the Fourth Rhode Island, and had been on the 
sick list for some days. He now stood near the group surrounding Gen- 
eral Burnside, with his hat pulled over his eyes and his shoulders 
shrugged, a picture of mingled ague and desi>ondency. Just as they be- 
gan to raise the flag. General Burnside turned to him and said, ' Joe, 
can't you give us some music?' 'No,' said Joe, 'I'm sick ; too sick to 
play, and my bugle isn't here.' One of General Buriiside's aides had seen 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 67 

'Joe' going toward the fort without his bugle, from which he seemed 
inseparable, and he had the forethought to get and bring it with him to the 
fort. Taking it out from under his coat, he stepped forward and handed 
it to Joe. He looked at it, took it, shook it, as all buglers do, blew 
through it, and just then his eye caught sight of the flag slowly rising to 
the mast-head. Placing his instrument to his lips, and watching the as- 
cending flag with kindling eyes, he forgot his illness as he threw his 
head back, while from his loved bugle there came the stirring strains of 
the ' Star Spangled Banner,' played as only ' Joe Greene ' could play it, 
and as if his very soul was in each martial note. The sweet notes lin- 
gered among the arched casemates and within the walls as if loth to die 
away in space, and they touched the heart of every soldier present." 

When the rebel flag came down Major Wright placed it under 
guard, and soon after he saw General Burnside and asked him if the 
Fifth could retain it. The general assented. Immediately after 
General Parke came up, and said to Major Wright, in a careless man- 
ner, " Oh, by the way, major, you may send that rebel flag up to my 
quarters." " No, I can't do that," replied Major Wright, " I cannot 
deliver it to aijy one without General Burnside's order." The next 
time Major Wright saw General Burnside he proposed to send it 
home to the General Assembly in General Burnside's name. The 
general would not permit this to be done, but directed that it should 
be sent in the name of the Fifth Rhode Island. This was done, and 
the flag was received by the General Assembly not long after, while 
it was in session in Newport. Quite a ceremony took place at the 
time, and in the evening there was a small celebration, during which 
the flag was brought and attracted much attention. Soon after it 
disappeared, ancV despite the most careful search its subsequent fate 
is unknown. It was the only flag of a surrendered fort ever sent' to 
any legislature during the war. 

The casualties on both sides were slight, considering tlie great 
amount of very accurate firing. The loss of the Union forces was 
one killed and five wounded while that of the rebels was eight killed 
and twenty wounded. The only casualty in the Fifth was one man 
wounded in the foot by a shell. 

We quote here an extract from the official i-eport of General 
Parke : 

"From the time of our first occupying the ground immediately in 
front of the fort, very severe and onerous duty was performed by the offi- 



68 FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 

cers and men of the Fourth Rhode Island, Eighth Connecticut, and Fifth 
Ehode Ish\nd Battalion. Owing to companies being detached from the 
first two regiments and their otherwise weak condition, the tour of duty 
in the trenches and on advance picket guard returned every third day. 
This, in connection with a march of three and one-half miles through 
heavy sand to and from camii and occasional fatigue dvitj', was begin- 
ning to tell fearfully on both officers and men; still they bore it all with- 
out complaint, and it gives me pleasure to commend them as soldiers of 
true grit." 

On the 30th day of April the battalion moved camp up to the 
fort. The fort itself was garrisoned by Company C of the Seeond 
United States Artillery. The other regiments of the brigade were 
sent to different points near by. The capture of the fort not only 
afforded the anticipated change of base for the better, but it also re- 
lieved the navy of the labor of blockading the port of Beaufort. On 
this day the following general order was read to all the regiments in 
General Parke's brigade : 

Headquarters Department of North Carolina. 

Beaufort Harbor, April 26, 1862. 
General Orders, JVo. 10. 

The general commanding takes particular pleasure in thanking Gen- 
eral Parke and his brave command for the patient labor, fortitude and 
courage displayed in the investment and reduction of Fort Macon. 

Every patriotic heart will be filled with gratitude to God for having 
given to our beloved country such soldiers. 

The regiments and artillery companies engaged have earned the right 
to wear upon their colors and guidons "Fort Macon, April 26, 1862." 

By command of Maj.-Gen. A. E. Burnside. 

Lewis Richmond, Asst. Atljt.-Gen. 

And with this congratulatory order, the operations attending the 
capture of Fort Macon came to an end. 



CHAPTER VI. 



FROM FORT MACON TO NEW BERNE. 

HERE at Fort Macon, the battalion remained some time. The 
camp was nicely fixed up, and it was the most homelike ar- 
rangement the men had seen since leaving Providence. " AYe 
are having a good time," writes Surgeon Potter, " resting and recruit- 
ing the health of the men, of which there was need, for we liave had 
considerable typhoid fever, but we are now getting all right ao-ain." 
And, under the date of May 5th, another correspondent gives a pict- 
ure wherein the daily incidents and the home-longings of the men 
Avill all be lived over again by those whom the fortunes of war and 
the vicissitudes of over a quarter of a century of peaceful life per- 
mit to read the following : 

" We are now encamped in a pleasant position, just under the 
walls of the fort. The ruins of a granary and several other build- 
ings, which the rebels destroyed, furnish us with lumber, and now 
the tents all have substantial floors, which will keep us off the damp 
ground, and will probably prevent much sickness." The weather has 
been quite hot, -and would be oppressive but for the pleasant 
breeze from the sea. Our location is in many respects the best we 
have ever occupied. Everything except the water, which is almost 
nauseous, contributes to make us desire to remain here until we are 
again called to active operations. A small mail, which reached us 
yesterday by the way of Hatteras and New Berne, brought us a 
welcome and long-expected freight of good wishes and cheering words 
from loved ones at home. If those who have friends among us 
could know how much pleasure their messages diffuse in camp, 
nothing but the most pressing duties Avould prevent them from writ- 
ing. An official dispatch to the commander of one of the gunboats 
in the harbor announced the taking of New Orleans, and completed 



70 HISTOHY OF THK 

our happiness for the day. General Burnside returned to New Berne 
immediately after the surrender of the fort, and you will soon hear 
of another blow in the department of North Carolina, if greater vic- 
tories in other quarters do not withdraw your attention from our 
movements." 

How inexorable the other side of this pleasant picture, " Died in 
hospital." There is a compensation in the excitement and rush at- 
tending the drawings of a lottery with death in battle that robs it of 
half its terror. But the slow wasting away day by day — silent with 
endurance — when this king of terrors was met in the cheerless hos- 
pital ward in the early period of the war, tested to the uttermost all 
the manly qualities of manly men. And year by year how the long, 
sad list grew, of which the following is a brief example : 

Deaths in Buknside's Division. 

Fifth Rhode Island. 

Private Samuel Barnes, Company E, typhoid fever. 
Private George B. Dean, Company C, typhoid fever. 
Sergt. Lorenzo Lndwig, Company B, typhoid fever. 
Corp. Samuel Grimwood, Company E. 

Slain as truly were they in defence of the cause of the nation as 
any that fell in the forefront of the fiercest charge ever made between 
the Potomac and the Rio Grande. 

The period of rest that ensued immediately after the surrender of 
P^ort Macon was also one of transition in the future fortunes of the 
forces in North Carolina. And this transition arose from two 
causes. The continued successes of the troops operating here, the 
only notable ones gained in the east up to this time, had attracted the 
attention of the whole country to both officers and men, and earned 
for them the warmest encomiums of praise from the authorities in 
Washington, as well as from both press and people. The Burnside 
division of the Army of the Potomac became an army corps, operat- 
ing in the department of Nortli Carolina, with Major-General Burn- 
side in command. The three generals of brigade, Foster, Reno, and 
Parke, were made major-generals of divisions, and their several 
commands augmented accordingly. Colonels, whose ability had 
commanded attention, became generals of brigades. Notably among 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 



71 



these last promotions was that of Colonel Rodman, who so gallantly 
led the decisive charge of the Fourth and Fifth Rhode Island at 
New Berne, on the 14th of March. These promotions necessitated 
many changes among regimental officers, and caused alterations in 
the formations of the new brigades. Reinforcements of some much 




Capt. James Gregg. 

needed cavalry and light batteries, together with some new regi- 
ments of infantry, also arrived. Such was the gratifying nature of 
the first cause of transition. 

The other cause need only be mentioned in the briefest possible 
manner and with fewest words of comment. General Burnside had 
fulfilled to the letter all of the instructions governing his operations 
up to this time, and with a success as gratifying to the nation as it 



72 HISTORY OF THE 

was unexpected in certain liigli official circles. Very early in the 
campaign Jefferson Davis had alluded to the affairs in North Caro- 
lina as "deeply humiliating." Already the people of that State 
were complaining in tones both loud and deep that the Confederate 
authorities were abandoning their coasts to the enemy for the par- 
pose of defending Virginia. "With his wider sphere of action and 
enlarged command, the eyes of the commanding general were now 
turned toward the very important port of Wilmington, when he re- 
ceived from the general in command of the Army of the Potomac 
orders to the effect " that no offensive movement was to be made in 
the department of North Carolina until the results of his operations 
on the lower peninsula of Virginia should be determined." 

"When at last dire disaster threatened the Union arms in Virginia, 
General McClellan directed Burnside to reinforce him with all the 
troops, he could spare. The latter general collected two divisions 
from his department, and, leaving General Foster in command in 
North Carolina, he went to the assistance of the array under his jun- 
ior in rank. General Pope, and, waiving all questions of rank, he 
did all that was in his power to do in that fateful campaign. 

Twice was he offered, even urged, to accept the command of the 
Army of the Potomac, and each time he refused ; the last time sup- 
plementing his refusal by strongly advising the reinstatement of 
General McClellan. W^hen General McClellan, in command of 
the armies in defence of Washington, marched north after the Con- 
federate army, which had by this time crossed into Maryland, it 
was General Burnside's command, with his two North Carolina 
divisions in the lead, that pushed the hitherto triumphant Confed- 
erates to battle in the passes of South Mountain. That battle was 
won by General Burnside and these troops, with but little assistance 
from other corps, which had not yet come up, at the expense of hun- 
dreds of lives, among which was that of the able and gallant Reno. 

To return to the department of North Carolina at the period im- 
mediately succeeding the capture of Fort Macon. It may be briefly 
stated that the new commands were organized from the old regi- 
ments and the reinforcements, as fast as the latter arrived. New 
Berne was made secure against any possible attack ; various small 
expeditions Avere sent out along the coast, and up the bays and rivers, 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTILI.EIO. 73 

for the double purpose of liarrassiug tlie enemy and keeping the 
troops inured to the fatigues of the march and dangers of battle. In 
the meantime the Fifth Battalion was attached to Colonel Rodman's 
brigade, and still remained in camp at P^ort Macon, finding employ- 
ment in a steady application to company and battalion drill. During 
this period of rest some changes occurred in the roster of oHicers. 
Adjutant Charles H. Chapman resigned May lOtli. June 7th, Sec- 
ond Lieutenant George G. Hopkins, of Company C, was made first 
lieutenant of Company E. P'irst Sergeant Benjamin L. Hall, of Com- 




General Burnside's Headquarters, New Berne. 



pany E, was promoted second lieutenant of Company B, and James 
Gregg, first sergeant of Company B, was made second lieutenant of 
Company C. May 9th, second lieutenant James M. Wheaton, of 
Company E, was promoted to first lieutenant and adjutant of the bat- 
talion, and Henry B. Landers, first sergeant of Company C, was 
made second lieutenant of Company E. 

The first break in the routine of camp life at F(jrt Macon came in 
the following pleasant manner: Adjutant-General Mauran, of Rhode 
Island, having come to North Carolina to make the formal presenta- 
tion of the sword voted to General Bui-nside by the legislature of that 
State, came to Fort Macon to seethe Fifth. Captain Morris, of the 



74 HISTOHY OF THE 

regular artillery in the fort, received him with a salute of seven guns. 
The presentation was to take place in New Berne, on the afternoon 
of the 20th of June, so we started the day before, at two p. M., on 
the " AVheelbarrow " Union. While passing through Core Sound, 
she broke her rudder, and it took until night to repair it, which com- 
pelled us to lay by until morning. Going by the way of Core and 
Pamlico sounds, and the Neuse River, we arrived at New Berne 
about two p. M. on the ■20th. By the time we landed it was raining 
so hard that the ceremony was postponed until the next day. Friday 
morning the Fourth and Fifth Rhode Island had a fine dress parade 
in front of General Burnside's headquarters, and in the afternoon we 
marched across the Trent River to a lai'ge field, near our old Camp 
Pierce, and the presentation took place in the presence of all the 
troops not on guard, picket, or other duty, some 8,000 in all. The 
Rhode Island troops acted as an escort to General Burnside. The 
presentation speech of Adjutant-General Mauran was most eloquent, 
and General Burnside replied in modest and fitting terms. When 
the ceremony was completed the whole command was formed in col- 
umn, and passed in review. Saturday morning we started on our 
return trip, again passing a night in Core Sound, and arriving in 
camp Sunday morning. 

Behind this concentration of troops there was quite another 
purpose than that of mere parade and display. Weary of his en- 
forced inaction, General Burnside had determined upon an important 
ofl^ensive movement against Goldsboro, and all the preparations for it 
had been carefully made. Up to this time nothing but good report 
had been received of the progress of the Army of the Potomac, and 
it was hoped that this movement, severing the principal communica- 
tions of the rebel army in Virginia, would materially assist the ope- 
rations on the peninsula. Orders for the march to commence on the 
30th of June had been prepared, but the very next morning an order 
was received to reinforce General McClellan without delay. This 
order practically, though not nominally, severed General Burnside's 
connection with tlie department of North Carolina. 

Shortly after the battalion returned from New Berne rumors of dis- 
asters in front of Richmond reached camp. They were soon con- 
firmed by a call for troops from this department to reinforce the 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 75 

Army of the Potomac. The Fifth Battalion was ordered to relieve 
the Fourth Rhode Island at Beaufort and Morehead City. Four 
companies went to the former of these places, while Company D, 
Captain Grant, went to the latter. Major Wright was appointed 
military governor of Beaufort, and Lieut. William W. Douglas, of 
Company D, was made provost marshal. This change was made 
June 30th. At this time an officer expressed the general feeling of 
officers and men when he said, "When we found that our battalion 
was selected to remain behind, which seemed to be on account of our 
small numbers, it was a source of regret to us all, as we had become 
attached to the different organizations we had served with, and we 
did not like the idea of being separated from them, as well as losing 
the prospect of being introduced to other scenes and new service." 
On this day Lieut. Benjamin L. Hall arrived from Providence with 
a number of recruits, which were to form the nucleus of the new 
company, F. 

Though the battalion was sent to Beaufort to relieve the Fourth 
Rhode Island, which was ordered to take transport at once for some, 
at the time unknown destination, that regiment did not finally sail 
until July 6th. In the meantime the two organizations were packed 
into the quarters of one, to the great discomfort of both, but these 
trials were good humoredly borne. On the 4th of July, both organi- 
zations united in formally observing that day, pursuant to a general 
order from department headquarters. The men were paraded and 
formed a square, when the general order directing this observance 
of the day, was read. The band of the Fourth Rhode Island fur- 
nished some appropriate music. Prayer was then offered, and the 
Declaration of Independence read. At this point in the ceremony 
one good secessionist woman among the spectators jeeringly said, 
" Jeff Davis' flag will float here in a fortnight ! " Evidently she had 
had rebel news from Richmond. After more music, some manoeu- 
vres by the two regiments took place, followed by a lively drill in the 
various modes of firing. A parade through the streets, followed by 
a collation for the officers at our battalion headquarters, and a " ham 
and soft bread supper" for the men, ended their first 4th of July 
in North Carolina. 



76 HISTORY OF THE 

Again the battalion fell into the old routine of drill, guard and 
fatigue duty, which was dull enough in these sleepy coast towns of 
this revolted State. But they heard the echoes of the mighty strife 
waged in the West and along the rivers of Virginia. Their beloved 
general left them, taking with him most of those companions-iu-arms 
who had become endeared to them through their common toils and 
dangers. Major-General Foster was left in command of the depart- 
ment, with barely force enougli to hold what had been gained. This 
officer, with a patriotism and forgetfulness of self that has but few 
parallels in the history of the succeeding three years, devoted the 
best of his great ability and dauntless courage to the task assigned 
him. His meagre force, scattered among many posts, passed the 
summer in a state of waiting expectancy. 

The following sketch of General Foster is from Woodbury's Burn- 
side and the Ninth Army Corjjs : 

"Major-General John G. Foster, who succeeded General Burnside in 
the command of the Department of North Carolina, had already won for 
himself a brilliant reputation. He had been for a considerable time in 
the service of the country, and had always been found to be a faithful 
and skillful officer. He was born in New Hampshire, in the year 1824, 
and was appointed from' that State to the United States Military 
Academy at West Point. He graduated from the Academy in 1846, the 
fourth in rank in a class of fifty-nine. Among his classmates were Mc- 
Clellan, Reno, Seymour, Sturgis, and Stoneman of the loyal service, and 
'Stonewall' Jackson, Wilcox and Pickett, of the rebel army. He was 
commissioned as brevet Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers, 
July 1, 1840. He bore a very active and distinguished part in the Mexican 
war, and his record of promotion is a sufficient testimony to liis bravery 
and merit. ' Brevet First Lieutenant, August 20, 1847, for gallant and 
meritoriousconduct in the battles of Contreras and Churubusco; severely 
wounded in the battle of Molilio del Rey, September 8, 1847; Brevet 
Captain from that date, for gallant and meritorious conduct in the battle 
of Molino del Rey; Second Lieutenant, May 24, 1848.' Such is the honor- 
able record of his first two years ot service. 

" His gallant conduct and his proficiency in military knowledge attracted 
the attention of the authorities, and, in 1854, promoted to First Lieuten- 
ant on the 1st of April of that year, we find him Assistant Professor of 
Engineering in the Military Academy at West Point. He was appointed 
in charge of the fortifications in North and South Carolina, April 28, 
1858, and there acquired a knowledge that became serviceable for subse- 
quent operations. He was commissioned as Captain in the Engineers, 




Gen. John C. Foster. 



FIFTH KHODK ISLAND HEAVY AKTII.LKKV. 77 

July 1, 18<)0, and was brevetted Major on the 2()tli of December of the 
same year. During the eventful winter of 18t)0-'t)l, and the following 
spring, he was stationed at Charleston, South Carolina, and was one of 
the oiiicers under Major Anderson in the defence of Fort Sumter. His 
loyal and fearless bearing on the occasion of the bombardment of Sum- 
ter, is fresh in the recollection of all. Returning North after the surren- 
der, he was employed on the fortifications of New York. On the 2od of 
October, 1S61, he was commissioned as Brigadier-General of Volunteers, 
and was in command of the rendezvous at Annapolis previous to the ar- 
rival of General Burnside. After he assumed command of the Depart- 
ment of North Carolina, he was engaged in conspicuous services in his 
own Department and in the neighborhood of Charleston. Subsequently, 
he commanded the Department of the Ohio. After the surrender of 
General Lee, he was for a time in command at Tallahassee." 

In 18G7 he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of engineers in the 
United States army. He was, for some time, stationed at Boston, 
where his services were invaluable in removing obstructions and se- 
curing from further injury the channels of the harbor. His health 
failing, he sought to improve it by accepting duty in the West. He 
did not recover his health, however, and on the 2d of September, 
1874, he died at Nashua, N. H. 

When hearing or reading of the deeds in other fields of those who 
were so recently their companions-in-arms, both officers and men 
of the Fifth united in bewailing that fate of war which compelled 
them to inaction during this critical period of our history. 

The first days of August brought a change of scene to the bat- 
talion. Marching orders were received, with New Berne as the des- 
tination. Again, the men embarked on their old and now very 
familiar friend, the " Wheelbarrow " Union, and went over the we-ll- 
known route through Core and Pamlico sounds and up the Neuse 
River to New Berne, arriving in that city August 8th. Camp was 
pitched outside of the city limits and near the " Fair Grounds," and 
named Camp Anthony, in honor of our United States senator, Tiie 
battalion was now assigned to the brigade commanded by Col. 
Thomas G. Stevenson, of the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts, who, by 
the way, was always known, loved and respected as Col. "Tom" 
Stevenson long after he became general. 








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FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 79 

The following sketch is also taken from Burnside and the Ninth 
Army Corps : 

" Born in Boston, on the 3d of Febmai;y, 1S36, Thomas Greely Steven- 
son was especially fortunate in his family, his education and his social 
position. He was the son of Hon. J. Thomas Stevenson, well known as 
an able lawyer and a sagacious man of affairs. He was educated in the 
best schools in Boston, and at an early age he entered the counting-room 
of one of the most active merchants of that city. There, by his faith- 
fulness in duty, his promptness, and his generosity of disposition, he se- 
cured the entire confidence and love of his principal and the high esteem 
of the business community, and a brilliant commercial career opened 
before him. But when his country called him. he could not neglect her 
summons. The parting words of his father to himself and his younger 
brother, when they left home for the field, well express the appreciation 
in which his domestic virtues were held: ' Be as good soldiers as you 
have been sons. Your country can ask no more than that of you, and 
God will bless you.' 

" In the spring of 1861 he was orderly sergeant of the New England 
Guards, and upon the organization of the Fourth battalion of Massachu- 
setts infantry he was chosen captain of one of its companies. On the 
2.5th of April the battalion was sent to garrison Fort Independence, in 
Boston harbor, and on the 4th of May, Captain Stevenson was promoted 
to the rank of major. In this position he was distinguished for an excel- 
lent faculty for discipline and organization, which were subsequently of 
great benefit to him. On the 1st of August he received authority to 
raise and organize a regiment of infantry for a term of three years, and 
on the 7tli of September he went into camp at Readville with twenty 
men. On the 9th of December he left the State of Massachusetts with 
the Twenty-fourth Regiment — one of the finest and best drilled, organ- 
ized, equii)ped, and disciplined body of troops that Massachusetts had 
yet sent to the war. His regiment was assigned to General Foster's 
brigade in the Xorth Carolina expedition, and he soon gained the respect 
and friendship of his superior officers. 

"The conduct of the Twenty-fourth Regiment and its commander in 
North Carolina has already been made a matter of record. When Colo- 
nel Stevenson was assigned to the command of a brigade in April, 1862, 
the choice was unanimously approved by his companions-in-ai-ms. Gen- 
eral Burnside regarded him as one of his best officers. ' He has shown 
great courage and skill in action,' once wrote the General ; 'and in or- 
ganization and discipline he has no superior.' General Foster was 
enthusiastic in his commendation. ' He stands as high as any officer or 
soldier in the army of the United States,' said he, ' on the list of noble, 
loyal and devoted men.' On the 27th of December he was promoted to 
the rank of Brigadier-General, and on the 14th of March, 186.3, he was 



80 HISTOIJY OF THE 

conflrmed and commissioned to that grade. In February, 1863, he ac- 
companied General Foster to Soutli Carolina, where liis brigade was 
attaclied to the Tenth corps, and where he served with great fidelity and 
zeal throughout the year under Generals Foster, Hunter and Gillmore, 
In April, 1864, he reported to General Burnside at Annapolis, and was 
assigned to the command of the First division." 

General Stevenson was killed at the Battle of the Wilderness. 
Mr. Woodbury farther says of him : 

"But the Ninth Corps suffered a severe loss in the death of General 
Stevenson, the commander of the first division. He was killed early in 
the day, by one of the enemy's riflemen, while near his headquarters." 

During the month of August a radical change occurred in the roster 
of the battalion, which may be briefly mentioned. First Lieut. Wil- 
liam W. Hall, of Company B, resigned August 2d ; Capt. Jonathan M. 
Wheeler and Second Lieut. Levi F. Goodwin, of Company A, on the 
4th ; Capt. George H. Grant, of Company D, Capt. James M. 
Eddy, of Company C, and First Lieut. Daniel S. Remington, of 
Company A, on the 6th ; Chaplain McWalter B. Noyes on the 15th, 
and Maj. John Wright on the 25th. As some compensation for the 
loss of so many officers, twenty-six recruits arrived in camp on the 
18th of August, and were assigned to Company F. 

The justice of the cause which compelled some of these officers to 
tender their resignations in defence, as they esteemed it, of their own 
honor, after they had so far borne the heat and burden of the day, is 
a mooted question which it is not the province of these pages to dis- 
cuss. Camp life very frequently has the same effect on the morale 
of officers as of men, and in the leisure of such rest petty differences 
between them are too apt to grow and ripen into serious misunder- 
standings. That such personal troubles did exist is not stated here 
as a fact, but this greater and more important truth is urged upon 
every survivor of the late war who may chance to read these lines : 
If it has been esteemed both patriotic and wise to bury in the oblivion 
of passing time all of the differences which caused the late terrible 
struggle, how much more generous and manly is it to forget every 
personal misunderstanding which arose from the annoyances or jeal- 
ousies of camp life, and remember, not the errors of erring mortals, 
but only the good qualities of brave men, who once shared the same 
dangers in the same cause. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 81 

In this connection the two following letters explain themselves: 

Hdqrs. Dept. of North Carolina, 

New Berne, N. C, Aug. 7, 1S62. 
His Excellency Wm. Sprague, Governor of the State of Rhode Island: 

The battalion I have now brought to this place and put them under a 
most excellent officer, Colonel Stevenson, commanding Second Brigade 
of my division, who will give them his strict personal attention by es- 
tablishing officers' drills, etc. ; and by appointing the best sergeants 
lance lieutenants he will be able accurately to discover the capabilities of 
each. I would beg leave to suggest the filling up of this battalion to a 
regiment now. There are many excellent officers left, and the men are 
very good, and, under the care of Colonel Stevenson, to whose brigade 
they are attached, I feel sure they will rapidly perfect themselves in 
drill and discipline, and become the equals of the other fine regiments 
your State has sent forth, which is as high praise as a regiment can 
desire. 

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obd't serv't, 

J. G. Foster, Major-Gen. ConuVy. 

The other letter simply encloses the list of promotions recommended 
by the brigade commander, and it is needless to say that it is a roll 
of honor : 

Hdqrs. Dept. of North Carolina, 

New Berne, N. C, Aug. 15, 1862. 
General E. C. Mauran, Adjutant-General State of Rhode Island: 

General: Referring to my letter of the 7th inst. to His Excellency 
Governor Sprague, I beg leave to hand you, enclosed, a list of proposed 
promotions in the Fifth Regiment Rhode Island Volunteers, recom- 
mended by Col. T.- G. Stevenson, to whose brigade they are attached, 
after a careful personal examination on his part. 
I have the honor to remain, sir, very respectfully your ob't serv't., 

J. 6. Foster, Major-General ConuVy. 

Enclosure to the above : 

New Berne, Aug. 13, 1862. 

After a careful examination of the abilities of the following officers of 
the Fifth Rhode Island Regiment, I would respectfully recommend that 
they be appointed to fill the positions set against their respective names. 

Captain Job Arnold, . . . to be Major. 

1st Lieut. W. W. Douglas, . . ' " " Captain. 

1st Lieut. John E. Snow, . . . " " 
6 



82 . HISTORY OF THE 

1st Lieut. James M. AVheaton, . . to be Captain. 

1st Lieut. George G. Hopkins, . . " '" " 

2d Lieut. Henry B. Landers, . . . " " " 

2d Lieut. James Moran, .... " " 1st Lieut. 

2d Lieut. Benj. L. Hall, . . . . " " 

2d Lieut. James Gregg, . . . . " " " 

1st Sergt. Charles Taft, .... " -^ '■ 

1st Sergt. John E. Robinson, ... i^ i« <t 
After a further examination I feel confident that I shall find several 

other warrant officers having qualities to make good commissioned 

officers. 

Yery respectfully your obedient servant, 

Thos. G. Stevensox, Col. ComcVg 2d Brig., 1st Die. 

To General J. G. Foster, Major-Gen. ConnVg. 

The recommendations of Colonel Stevenson were not at once acted 
upon by the governor on account of the earnest efforts which were 
being made at that time to recruit the battalion up to a full regiment. 
Immediately upon the resignation of Major Wright, Capt. Job 
Arnold, of Company E, was placed in charge of the battalion, and 
for some time the list of the commandants of companies, with the 
exception of a few minor changes, was as follows : 

Second Lieutenant James Moran, commanding Co. A. 
" " Benjamin L. Hall, " " B. 

First Lieutenant John E. Snow, " " C. 

" " William W. Douglas, " " D. 

" " George G. Hopkins, " " E. 

" Every day our camp is being improved and beautified," 
writes an officer. " Evergreen trees were taken from the neighbor- 
ing forests and set out for shade ; trenches were dug to afford needed 
drainage ; company streets were graded, and our tents were floored, 
both for the sake of comfort and health. By this time we considered 
ourselves as fully entitled to rank among the best organizations in 
the department, so far as proficiency in drill, good discipline, and a 
knowledge of the duties of the soldier were concerned." From this 
it Avill be seen that the changes in the administration of battalion 
affairs, as well as the emulation which was aroused by daily contact 
with other regiments in high state of drill and discipline had borne 
good fruit. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 83 

About September 1st, a few of the recruits who liad failed to pass 
the department medical examination, were returned to Rliode Ishind, 
On the 20th a number of men were discharged from the Ijattalioii on 
account of disability. On the 24:tli George W. Tew was appointed 
captain by Governor Sprague. A memorandum with this ap])oint- 
ment said : "Governor Sprague will appoint Captain Tew to-day, 
to enlist a company for the Fifth Regiment, to serve for three years, 
and when it is completed he will assign him to the position of major 
in that regiment." Captain Tew was accordingly appointed major, 
October 1st, and directed to report to the adjutant-general of the 
State as soon as possible with the Newport company, in order that 
he might join the regiment at New Berne. 

October 11th, Major Tew received the following: 

State of Rhode Island, 

Adjutant General's Office, 
Oct. 11, 1862. 
Special Order No. 180. 

I. Major George W, Tew, having been appointed in the Fifth Regi- 
ment Rhode Island Volunteers, vice .John Wright, resigned, he is directed 
to take charge of the seventh company, and move with the same on 
Monday next to join the regiment at New Berne, reporting upon his ar- 
rival to Major-General Foster, commanding the department of North 
Carolina, providing him with a copy of tliis order. 

At as early a date as possible he is directed to forward to this depart- 
ment a complete muster roll of the command as it now is, designating 
those officers holding commissions, and those acting by appointment of 
the military authorities there. The rolls must show tlie discharges, 
deaths, desertions, those in hospital, and those on furlough, together 
with those that have joined the regiment since its organization. 

II. Capt. J. M. Wheeler will report to Major Tew, accompanying him 
to New Berne, and he will be assigned to the command of the seventh 
company, or to any other in his discretion. He will unite with him in 
procuring the above information, and in recommending to this depart- 
ment the names of persons deserving commissions. 

By order of the Commander-in-Chief, 

Edward C. Mauran, 

Adjiitant-Generol. 



84 FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 

In camp quiet still reigned, and the first incident to break the mo- 
notony is recorded in the following letter : 

Headquakters Department of North Carolina. 

Neav Berne, N. C, Oct. 27, 1862. 
His Excellency William Sprague, Governor of Rhode Island : 

Governor: Major Tew has arrived and assumed command of the 
Fifth Rhode Island battalion. I have determined to send him to Rliode 
Island by this steamer for the purpose of filling the battalion up to a 
regiment, in which purpose I trust he will receive your aid and support. 

I shall hope to have the battalion speedily filled, and should be very 
much pleased to have an »ther Rhode Island regiment added to my com- 
mand. 

I am, Governor, with great respect your obedient servant, 

J. G. Foster, Major-General Commanding. 

At this time Governor Spragne was doing all in his power to 
comply with these repeated requests of General Foster. Recruiting 
offices were opened at various places in the State, and Henry T. 
Sisson, a veteran officer from the Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, 
was appointed colonel of the Fifth, and placed in charge of the re- 
cruiting service for it. He went to work at once with characteristic 
activity. On his recommendation many new officers were appointed, 
and it now began to look as if a still more active and important 
future would dawn upon the battalion. 



CHAPTER VII, 



THE TARBORO EXPEDITION. 

DURING the last two months many recruits had arrived. The 
battalion now contained six companies, Company F having 
been added. At Providence every effort was being made to 
make the battalion a full regiment. The condition of the recruiting 
service at this time is best told in the following order : 

State of Rhode Island, 

Adjutant General's Office, 

Providence, Nov. 5, 1862. 
General Orders No. .54. 

In pursuance of orders from the War Department giving General 
Burnside authority to raise a division forecast service, and oiie battalion 
having been raised in Rhode Island as a part of said division, it is hereby 
oiTlered that said battalion be raised to a full regiment (to be armed with 
rifles) three additional companies being required to complete the same. 

The regiment will be under the command of Colonel Henry T. Sisson, 
who is dii-ected to establish his headquarters and recruit the three com- 
panies. 

The officers in Rhode Island recruiting for said regiment are requested 
to report to Colonel Sisson for instructions. 

Each company when organized will bo forwarded to the regiment. 

By order of the Commander-in-Chief, 

Edward C. Mauran, 

Adjutant-General. 

In the camp of tlie battalion at New Berne preparations were be- 
ing made for quite another kind of service, and, in consequence, 
every eye shone brighter and every step seemed lighter as officers and 
men moved about their respective duties. Considerable reinforce- 
ments had arrived in the department, and everytiiing seemed to 



86 HISTORY OF THE 

pi'omise an eventful and exciting campaign. Marching orders were 
at last received, and the troops that were to take part in the expedi- 
tion embarked on transports at New Berne. The battalion went on 
board a large schooner, The Skirmisher, which was to be towed to 
its destination. 

On the morning of the 1st of November we found om'selves in 
Pamlico River, in sight of the town of Washington, and among a 
large fleet of transports lying at anchor in the vicinity. It was a 
sight that brought to mind other scenes and experiences in this, to us, 
very eventful year. During the day all of the troops were landed, 
and our battalion, after marching some little distance out of the 
town, found itself with the rest of the brigade, which at this time 
was composed as follows : The Fifth Rhode Island, Twenty-fourth 
and Forty-fourth Massachusetts, and Tenth Connecticut regiments of 
infantry, and Belger's Battery F, First Rhode Island Light Artillery. 
It was known as the Second brigade. Col. T. G. Stevenson com- 
manding. Here we bivouacked for the night, and the following day, 
awaiting the arrival of the First brigade, which wMth the artillery, 
cavalry, and the wagon train of the division were to march by land 
from New Berne. It had been planned to have this column march- 
ing by land reach this point at the same time that the troops arrived 
by water. But it did not reach Washington until the night of No- 
vember 2d, to the great disappointment of the commanding general. 

A correspondent gives this account of the movements of the troops 
up to the occupation of Rawle's Mill : 

" Early Sunday morning the advance moved out on the Williams- 
ton road. It was a beautiful Sabbath morning, the sun was very 
warm, while there was scarcely a breath of air, and the sweat rolled 
in large drops from the men as they • went marching along.' We 
had advanced about six miles when a slight skirmish took place 
with the rear of a rebel regiment that was ' on the skedaddle,' they 
having received intelligence of the advance of our forces and profited 
thereby. 

"Still later in the day, when we had gone about eighteen miles, a 
prisoner was captured, who stated that the rebel force had left for 
Williamston, though the Twenty-sixtli North Carolina regiment, with 
Moore's battery, were beliind a breastwork about half a mile further 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 



87' 



on, just over a stream of water about one hundred feet wide and tliree 
feet deep, with a crooked road running through it, and on either side a 
thick swamp, while just beyond the stream was a high bank ; making 
altogether a place easy of defence, and correspondingly hard to attack. 




Lieut. Edward F. Angell. 

He also stated that if we had been a few hours earlier we would 
have bagged their Avhole force, and that the regiment in front was 
only a rear-guard to check us until their wagon train escaped. 

" As he had said, our skirmishers were tired on when they had got 
half way through the water. Immediately two companies of the 
Forty-fourth Massachusetts were ordered forward to ascertain their 



88 HISTORY OF THE 

force, and they advanced like veterans to the centre of the stream, 
when a sharp volley from the enemy was fired into them. They 
quickly returned it, and at the same time Belger with his Rhode Is- 
land battery opened the ball. 

" The Twenty-fourth Massachusetts was deployed as skirmishers 
at the time, and the Tenth Connecticut supported the battery on one 
side of the road, while the Fifth Rhode Island was formed on the 
other. The firing was sharp for some time, but finding our shells 
rather too much for them, they retired about a mile to a line of rifle- 
pits, where they intended to give us a warm reception. It was some 
two hours before our advance reached these pits ; but Belger cleared 
the way with his shells, so that when our infantry got there they only 
received a few sliots from the enemy, which were fired as they re- 
treated. They burned the bridge at Rawle's Mill, so that it was 
impossible to follow them." 

In point of fact this advance of Colonel Stevenson's brigade de- 
serves more than this passing notice. The night was intensely dark, 
the ground, position, and force of the enemy were totally unknown. 
General Foster in his ofiicial report says: "On the evening of the 
same day we encountered the enemy posted in a strong position at a 
small stream called Little Creek. I immediately ordered Colonel 
Stevenson, commanding the Second brigade, who was then in advance, 
to make all haste in driving them from the opposite side of the creek, 
and to push on at once." 

It was two companies of the Forty-fourth Massachusetts, a regi- 
ment just from the recruiting camp at home and never before under 
fire, that bravely and steadily pushed through water so deep as to 
spoil the cartridges in their pouches, and received tiie enemy's fire 
when almost within reach of the flashes of their rifles. And it v/as 
this regiment that suffered nearly all of the loss in this engagement. 
No sooner had this Forty-fourth regiment effected a lodgement on the 
opposite bank than Belger's battery was crossed, the rest of the brig- 
ade followed, and again the men had to literally feel their way 
through this dark and unknown land, removing the trees felled across 
the road by the enemy so that the guns could advance. It was not 
until nearly one o'clock a. m. that our skirmisliers had developed the 
enemy's line of rifle-pits defending the bridge at Rawle's Mill. Bel- 



FIFTH RHODE ISLA.ND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 89 

ger's battery and two batteries of the Third New York Artillery 
were put in position so quietly that even our own men were not 
aware of the movement, and at the word there flashed out in the 
gloom of the early morning the lightning of eighteen guns. This 
storm of shell was a complete surprise, coming at the time it did, and, 
after making but a feeble reply, the enemy escaped in the darkness, 
burning the bridge behind them. Nothing could now be done except 
to wait until the pioneers could rebuild the bridge so that the batte- 
ries and wagon train could cross with the troops. 

It was about three a. m. when the tired men, wet to the middle 
from fording the creek and floundering through the swamp, received 
orders to bivouac for the night. The Fifth battalion were ordered to 
remain in the captured breastworks. It was clear butvery cold, and 
a chill and penetrating wind swept the open fields. Many of the 
men were destitute of blankets even, and they suffered keenly. In 
some instances water froze in their canteens. 

At the time the advance of the Forty-fourth Massachusetts re- 
ceived the enemy's fire while in the creek, one of those incidents of 
battle occurred which served for a long time afterward to give zest to 
the talk around many a camp-fire. The Massachusetts regiment 
had preceded our Fifth battalion in the march during the day. At 
the time the two companies of that regiment were moving toward 
the creek, an honest member of our battalion, who had probably 
fallen out of line for some purpose, came along, and, in the darkness 
did not notice particularly the men halted along the road-side, but 
seeing some of the'Forty-fourth moving toward the creek, he followed 
on, thinking that his own regiment was just behind. Wliile the 
Forty-fourth men were deploying to enter the water, he somehow got 
ahead, and wading through he pushed on up the bank. Not seeing 
any one in front, and hearing a noise on one side of the road, he in- 
stinctively halted. At that moment the deadly volley fired at the 
advancing line flashed out in the darkness, almost behind him. For 
once this much of Rhode Island was seized with a panic, and he 
bolted over the opposite bank into the bushes and down into the 
swamp. There, if he may be believed, he plunged and leaped, and 
waded, and swam, until his fright began to subside, when, to his 
horror, he was sharply challenged by some one in liis front. For a 



90 HISTOKY OF THE 

moment he could not answer, and the challenge was repeated. He 
knew the voice. It was a picket from his own regiment that he had 
stumbled upon. But just what route he pursued to get around in 
front of his own regiment, he would never tell. 

How the conduct of the Second brigade in this night attack was 
regarded at headquarters, is indicated in this extract from General 
Foster's official report: "I recommend that Colonel Stevenson, for 
his efficient services on this march, and in the affair at Little Creek 
and Rawle's Mill, as well as his previous services at Roanoke and 
New Berne, be promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, to date 
from Nov. 3, 1862." 

Captain Job Ai-nold's official report is appended herewith : 

Beport of Capt. Job Arnold, Fifth Rhode Island Infantry, of skirmishes 
at Little Creek and Rawle^s 2Iill, N. C. 
Hdqrs. Fifth Kegt. Kiioue Island Volunteeks, 
Camp Anthony, New Berne, IST. C, 
Xov. 13, 1862. 

Sir: I beg leave to submit to you the following report of the part 
taken by the Fifth Rhode Island in skirmishes of Sunday, November 2, 
1802: 

At the commencement of the action we received orders to support 
Belger's Rhode Island battery. We formed in line to the right and rear 
of the battery, in the cornfield to the right of the road. AVhen the bat- 
tery moved to take its position, we filed down the road and formed a line 
about twenty paces in the rear of the battery in the held to the left of 
the road, our right i-esting toward the road, and there remained till or- 
dered to follow the l)attery across the ford. We had nearly readied the 
road when we were ordered to remain to support a section of Belger's 
battery, left in its former position. 

We then formed in line in rear ,of a rail fence to the left and rear of 
the pieces, our left resting on the woods. As soon as the battery was 
ordered forward we joined the main column, and, crossing the ford, pro- 
ceeded with it up the road to the rifle-pits this side of Rawle's Mill, and 
remained Avithin supporting distance of the battery while it was engaged 
in shelling the enemy. At about one o'clock we entered the rifle-pits, 
and there remained until daylight. At onetime the regiment was under 
quite heavy fire, and it gives me much pleasure to state that both officers 
and men, without exception, behaved with the most perfect coolness. 

JOB ARNOLD, 

Captain Commanding. 
Col. Thomas G. Stevenson, 

Comdg. Second Tlrig., First Die. Dept. of North Carolina. 



FIFTH KHODE ISLAND HEAVY AHTIl.LKKV 



91 



A non-commissioned officer of the buttalion gives his account of 
the skirmish at Rawle's Mill: " We were ordered to support Bel- 
ger's Rhode Island battery, who were hotly engaged with the enemy. 
Captain Arnold, commanding our battalion, ordered us to lie down, 
which order we obeyed with alacrity. How rapidly this battery did 




Lieut. Henry P. Williams. 

fire, and, as it was very dark, the lines of the poet came to my mind, 

' And louder than the bolts of heaven 
Far flashed the red artillery.' 

" At last the order came to go forward and we proceeded to cross 
the ford, and waded through the creek to the opposite side. We 
halted"for a while after crossing, and as I was completely tired out, 



92 HISTORY OF THE 

I laid down by the roadside and soon fell asleep, and did not awaken 
till I heard a thundering noise in close proximity, and found that it 
was a section of artillery rushing past me, on tlie run. But where 
was my battalion? I was so overcome with sleep, that I had 
not heard the order ' Forward ! ' when it was given, and on my 
awaking I found that the battalion had gone on without me. I took in 
the situation, however, and, after waking, I started on and soon joined 
my comrades. We shortly afterwards bivouacked for the night." 

While the wearied men were sleeping unsheltered in the freezing 
air, the pioneers were busy replacing the destroyed bridge, and not 
long after day had dawned it was ready for the troops to pass over. 
"Soon after daybreak," writes Surgeon Potter, " we resumed our 
march for Williamston, distant about four miles, and located on the 
Roanoke River, and there we met our gunboats. We then started 
for Hamilton, also on the Roanoke, passing on the way a battery on 
Rainbow Bluffs, which had long been a scarecrow to our fleet, but 
which we found abandoned. The gunboats accompanied us as far as 
Hamilton, which was partly burned, perhaps by ' apple-jack,' with 
■which some of the boys iiad become primed." 

One of the comrades says of Williamston : " We entered the 
town about noon, and found many of the houses deserted of their in- 
habitants. Some of these houses we visited and made ourselves 
at home. I recollect that one of our men arrayed himself in a 
hoop skirt, and with a parasol in hand created quite a sensa- 
tion. In company with several comrades I entered the house of a 
physician as 1 should judge by the bottles and surgical appliances 
lying around. We helped ourselves, not to his medicines, but to his 
wife's preserves. One man brought away a stove-pipe hat that be- 
longed to the doctor, 1 presume. I borrowed a book from his library, 
and forgot to return it. I imagined that I should like to send it home 
as a souvenir, but after carrying it for awhile, it became burden- 
some in addition to the weight of ray accoutrements, and I after- 
wards deposited it by the roadside." 

The fire in Hamilton destroyed a large portion of the buildings in 
the town, and was the subject of much comment afterwards. It was 
probably caused by the carelesness of some soldier or sailor. We 
marched out of the town that evening by the light of the bvirning 
buildings, and bivouacked in a cornfield. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLEItY. 93 

Tlie next morning the march was continued from HaniiUon toward 
Tarboro. The cavalry advance was pushed to within about four 
miles of that town, but the column of infantry was halted at a point 
some ten miles distant. This town was an important point at the 
head of navigation on the Tar River, and the terminus of a short 
branch of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. As an expression 
of a prevalent feeling among the men in the battalion at that time, 
we quote from a non-commissioned officer. It may be well to state 
here that he was one of the many Avho were doing officers' duties 
in the battalion, and who were finally commissioned. He said: 

" About noon our brigade lialted at a pleasant farm-house, and the 
men had plenty of time to prepare and eat their dinner. Here we 
learned in some way that the town was about four miles distant ; 
that the road we were on led direct to the place ; that the enemy had 
strongly fortified this approach, but that just back a little way was 
another road leading around back of the town, where the enemy 
were not so well prepared to receive us. After a couple of hours' 
rest, we took the back track as far as the forks, where we filed off and 
again headed for the town, to enter it this time where they were not 
expecting us. We marched very slowly and halted often. There 
was evidently something going wrong at headquarters. About dusk we 
entered some cornfiekls, and then we bivouacked for the night. The 
detail for picket duty was much larger than that of the night before. 
Every precaution was taken against a night attack. The men were 
not allowed to stack arms, but told to keep their rifles witii them, and 
to look well to their condition. We were also directed to make as 
many fires as possible. It was a dark and cold night, and tlie pros- 
pect for the morrow was not very cheering. As the night advanced 
trains were distinctly heard in the town ; not one train, but for hours 
we heard the noise of cars rumbling along. 

" We all believed that the enemy were receiving reinforcements. 
Just before daylight we were surprised by the command to ' Fall 
in ! ' No drums were beaten. No noise was made that could be 
avoided. All commands were given in a subdued tone ; and soon 
we were on the move, away from the town, at a rapid march." 

We quote from General Foster's official report : 

"It was my intention to pursue the enemy to Tarboro, but the ex- 
hausted condition of the men, most of whom had been sick durin;;- the 



94 HISTORY OF THE 

last two months, and had not yet recovered their strength, and the fact 
that the provisions had become nearlj' exhausted, so that I had to sub- 
sist the command by foraging, as well as the fact that the enemy Avere 
being largely reinforced by rail, changed my plans, and on the following 
day I countermarched the column, reaching Hamilton the same night." 

The march was made through one of the most fertile and well 
cultivated sections of Eastern North Carolina, and the autumn har- 
vest had been abundant. The men fairly reveled in " soldiers' luxu- 
ries," such as chickens, sweet potatoes, and home-cured bacon. 
Every man in the expedition, will tell of the immense quantity of 
honey that was found during this march towards Tarboro. A man 
would hand his musket to a comrade, go to a hive, the bees being 
stiff with the cold, break off the side, and taking the great slabs of 
well-filled golden comb under each arm, push on and overtake the 
cohimn, and distribute his prize among the "boys." As the day 
grew warmer and the bees became lively, he would pick up a hive 
luider one arm with the bottom to the rear, and run thumping the 
top to drive out the bees which Avould fly back to the stand from 
which they came, and, instead of attacking the marauder who was 
robbing them of their home and winter's stores, would make it hot 
for the last man who tried to get a hive. 

An incident occurred Avhile on the march to this point. The sur- 
geon, who always looked for stragglers, found one man intoxicated 
beside the fence, who only responded with a grunt when shaken, and 
who fell like a dead man when set upon his feet, whereupon the doc- 
tor set him up in a fence corner, holding him up with his knee against 
his breast, and slapped his head, first one side and then the other, 
with his fiat hands. A few cuffs sobered liiui enough to resent the 
treatment, and he exclaimed, with an oath, " Doctor Potter, I won't be 
abused that way ; I'll report you for striking an enlisted man." The 
doctor, busily loading him with his blanket, haversack, canteen, and 
gun, told him he couldn't report until he got into his place in his 
company, and the man went on, swearing vengeance. After march- 
ing three or four miles, the line was halted, and the man came back 
to the rear to apologize, saying he didn't want to be lefc behind for 
the "Johnnies," and Avas thankful for the treatment he got, and if 
he had said anything out of the way in his drunkenness, he begged 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 95 

the doctor's pardon. Poor " Country! " he lies among many other 
brave men in the national cemetery at New Berne. 

It must be borne in mind that this was the first campaign of many 
of the men, and that even the veterans of RoanoUe Island, New Berne 
and Fort Macon had been doing only camp and guard duty durin" 
the summer and early autumn, and hence Avere illy prepared to en- 
dure continued forced marches over bad roads in inclement weather. 
The weather had become threatening during the afternoon of the Gth, 
and in the night a heavy rain began to fall. Not long after our re- 
turn march began, on the 7th, the cold increased, and in the after- 
nood the rain became snow and sleet, and marching became painful 
in the extreme. The men's shoes were filled with snow and mud ; 
the leather grew soft and spongy, losing all shape, and " ruiinino- 
over" so that heels and soles were often on the side of the feet in- 
stead of on the bottoms ; so many threw them away. The mud and 
sand caused such painful blisters that every step was agony. An 
officer, Lieutenant Bateman, was seen limping along quite barefoot, 
and finally he had to be carried to the hospital-boat, and he was dis- 
abled for a long time. The men had no tents of any kind, and many 
had no other protection from the storm than their rubber blankets ; 
and from this cause alone the sufferings of these brave fellows were 
intense. Private Edwin H. Gould became completely exhausted, 
Avas sent to the hospital-boat, and finally died from the results of the 
exposure of this march, and there Avere other cases of a similar 
nature. 

The spirit Avhich animated this patriotic soldier is thus described 
by a member of the battalion: "I found Comrade Gould sitting 
on a log by the roadside tired out and sick. I oftered to remain 
Avith him. To this arrangement he Avould not consent, but Avitli pure 
unselfishness insisted that I should go on and leave him, saying, 
' Never mind me, you go ahead,' although he knew that he stood a 
chance of being captured by the enemy, yet he did not Avish that 
another should be compelled to share his fate. I AA'as used up myself, 
being sick Avith the North Carolina ' shakes,' but I plodded on for 
aAvhile, till I, too, Avas obliged togiA-e up, and should have remained 
by the roadside had not two of my comrades, seeing my condition, 
took pity on me. While one took my musket, the other grasped me 



96 HISTORY OF THE 

by the arm and assisted me on the march till we arrived at Hamil- 
ton, where Ave encamped for the night. I slept that night in what I 
judged had formerly been a millinery store, and where by the warmth 
of a blazing fire I recovered somewhat from the effects of the 
' shakes.' " 

It was under these circumstances that Hamilton was reached in a 
severe snow storm. "Oh, how tired I was," said one of the 
battalion, " it did seem as if I could not drag one foot after the other 
in the miry snow and mud. When we reached Hamilton it was still 
snowing, and the wind was cold and cutting. At last I found an old 
tobacco-house, and I went in and laid down. I might have been 
there half an hour when some soldiers, Avho had been detailed as 
guard to this wretched building, came, and thi'owing some dirt in on 
the floor, they made a fire there. The smoke became so thick that 
it drove me out. So I wandered around in the storm for some time. 
At length I found an old sugar box, and carrying it to a fire near by, 
I sat it on end with the bottom of it toward the wind, and half sit- 
ting, half crouching in it, I slept, it miglit have been half an hour, 
and it might have been two or three hours, the sweetest sleep I ever 
had in rny life." 

About noon of the following day the march was resumed, and in 
the early evening the command reached Williamston, where it rested 
two days, Saturday and Sunday. Here Surgeon Potter taught some 
of the men to make serviceable moccasins from raw hide. Soon other 
shoeless men followed the example thus happily set, and many men 
in other commands wore them during the rest of the campaign. 
Monday brought us to Plymouth, where the battalion was embai'ked 
on one of the steamers of the half naval, half military organization 
known as the " Marine Artillery," which has been mentioned before. 
This steamer was commanded by Capt. William B. Avery, who did 
all in his power to make our trip as pleasant as the crowded condition 
of his boat would permit. It was late in the afternoon of the 11th 
when we landed on the wharf at New Berne to find that all were in a 
state of great excitement, as a force of the enemy had attacked our 
picket stations at Bachelder's Creek and Deep Gully. These two 
stations were some nine miles west of the city. The former was on 
the railroad, and the latter on what was known as the Trent road, 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 97 

and they were some six miles apart. Upon reacliing our camp we 
had orders to sleep on our arms, and be ready to fall into line at tlie 
first alarm.* Tattoo and taps were dispensed with, and the company 
cooks were set to work to prepare rations for our march to the assist- 
ance of the imperiled stations early the next morning. 

It had been feared that the enemy had intended to make a dash on 
the city during the absence of the troops, and as our battalion was 
among the first to return it fell to our lot to reinfoi'ce the troops at 
these threatened posts. At daylight on the morning of the 12th we 
were in line and on our march to Bachelder's Creek. The march 
along the railroad track was very trying to the already footsore men, 
and added to this was a want of water, the men having been unable 
to supply themselves in New Berne for want of time before they fell 
in line. AVhen we arrived at the creek, in conjunction with the 
Fifty-eighth Pennsylvania Regiment, Colonel Jones, stationed there, 
we scouted some miles to the front and on our flanks, but the enemy 
had disappeared. We returned leisurely to camp, and resumed the 
daily routine of our life at that post. 

And so ended the Tarboro Expedition, which was originally plan- 
ned for the purpose of capturing three rebel regiments which were 
collecting supplies in the vicinity of Washington, and which only 
failed because of the delay of the column that marched by land to 
reach its destination in time, while the condition of the roads and the 
inclement weather prevented further movements than those first 
designed. As it was, the retreating rebels were only six hours 
ahead of our advTince all the way from near Washington to the 
vicinity of Tarboro. 

While the battalion was absent First Lieutenant and Quartermas- 
ter Mnnro H. Gladdiiig died in the general hospital at Beaufort, 
November 2d, after an illness lasting about four weeks. 

November 12th. '-We have just received news of Colonel Sis- 
son's appointment." 

* Col. Thomas J. C. Amory, who was temporarily in command of the forces at New 
Berne in the absence of General Foster, says in his official report: " The Ninth New 
Jersey, Fifth Rhode Island and Belger's battery having arrived during the niglit with 
the gunboat Hunchback, I posted these troops at various points as reserves to the line of 
pickets, with orders to the Infantry in case of an attack, to occupy the rifle-pits extend- 
ing across the peninsula." 



98 FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 

Between the time of the return of the battalion to New Berne, on 
the 11th of November and the first days of December, a large num- 
ber of recruits arrived in camp. The first of these men were as- 
signed to Company F, and others which arrived later formed Com- 
pany G, of which Captain Wheeler was placed in command. Save 
the incidents attending the routine of camp life, nothing occurred 
until the first week in December, when rumors of serious trouble in 
the garrison of Roanoke Island became current. The following 
narrative is as good as any that can be written : 

" We had an ' expedition ' to Roanoke Island this week. There 
came a report Tuesday that the Marine Artillery there had mutinied, 
killed one of their officers who had tried to make them do their duty, 
taken possession of the batteries and the gunboat stationed there, and 
defied anybody to interfere with them. Tuesday night our battalion, 
with the Tenth Connecticut and Morrison's (New York) battery em- 
barked on steamers and started early the next morning to ' subdue ' 
them. Thursday morning we arrived there to find that two men had 
refused to do duty, but after a little punishment went on again. It 
seems that the men of this organization had been promised the same 
rank and pay as men in the navy, but were only recognized as 
infantry ; so there was dissatisfaction. That was all. So we steamed 
back to New Berne, right glad not to have to fight our own men." 



CHAPTER VIII, 



THE GOLDSBORO CAMPAIGN. 

GENERAL FOSTER bad been urgent in asking for reinforce- 
ments during tbe latter part of tbe summer, saying among 
otber tbings tbat the enemy showed increasing activity, not 
only in preventing any advance on his part, but a disposition to re- 
gain Avhat they bad lost, while on tbe otber hand, tlie debilitating 
influences of the past malarious season had so weakened tbe older 
regiments that there was then scarcely available more than one-lialf of 
their nominal strength. It Avas in response to these pressing requests 
that some "■nine months " regiments had been sent to him in Octo- 
ber, to be used when active operations sliould begin after cool weather 
had set in. 

The Tarboro Expedition, Avhile not fruitless in results, was not 
entirely satisfactory, and General Foster's ambition to achieve real 
successes was but stimulated by it. The situation in front of Wash- 
ington, in Virginia, was such as to make a strong movement in this 
department especially desirable. Therefore, while tbe Army of tbe 
Potomac was making preparations to cross the Rappahannock at 
Fredericksburg, and the rebel authorities were straining every nerve 
to reinforce their army at that point, it was deemed a fitting oppor- 
tunity to make a movement from New Berne against the great 
southern and coast line communications at Goldsboro. If success- 
ful such an operation would not only divert men from the rebel army 
in Virginia, but by severing the line of railway at Goldsboro it 
Avould also severely cripple their means of supplying subsistence to 
that army. A movement on Wilmington was planned to follow the 
Goldsboro Expedition. Accordingly, after the return of the Tar- 
boro Expedition steps were at once taken to make a more vigorous 



100 HISTORY OF THK 

campaign than h'ad yet been undertaken since the one that had re- 
sulted in the capture of New Berne and the fall of Fort Macon in the 
early spring. 

The troops for this expedition were assembled at New Berne early 
in December, and the force finally designated for the campaign con- 
sisted of twenty regiments of infantry, numbering in all about 
10,000 men, seven batteries of artillery, and sections of two inde- 
pendent New York batteries, or a total of forty guns, and one regi- 
ment of cavalry, the Third New York, at that time numbering about 
six hundred and fifty men. 

To oppose this force the enemy had in the immediate vicinity of 
Goldsboro about eight thousand men, with headquarters at that 
point, and ample railway facilities to add half as many more at short 
notice, from Wilmington on the one hand and Weldon on the other. 

The infantry of the expedition was divided into four brigades. 
The second brigade, under the command of Colonel — now Brigadier- 
General — Stevenson, was composed of the Fifth Rhode Island, 
Captain Job Arnold commanding; the Tenth Connecticut, and 
the Twenty-fourth and Forty-fourth Massachusetts infantry, and Bel- 
ger's Battery F, of the First Rhode Jsland Liglit Artillery. 

The march from New Berne commenced on the morning of De- 
cember 11th, yet the state of the roads was such that the moving of 
the wagon train made tiie progress of the column very slow. When 
the battalion bivouacked for the night it was but little beyond the 
outer picket line of New Berne. An incident showing the spirit that 
animated the men of the Fifth at this time is worth relating. When 
the orders to fall in for the march were given. Surgeon Potter sent 
some fifteen or twenty men out of the ranks. They were convales- 
cents vt'hom he knew were unable to stand the fatigues of the coming 
march. These men left the camp without leave before the regiment 
commenced its march and waited some five or six miles out for it to 
come up, when they fell into their places. Nearly all of them " fag- 
ged out" before night, and had to be sent ftack ; but the kind-hearted 
doctor could not even scold them, on account of the spirit that actu- 
ated them. 

It was as late as the evening of tiie loth before the advance came 
in contact with the enemy, posted at tiie crossing of Southwest 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 



lOI 



Creek, some five miles this side of Kinston. The official report 
says : " The enemy were strongly posted there, but by a heavy artil- 
lery tire in front and a vigorous infantry attack on either flank, a 
passage v/as forced without much loss." One gun was taken in this 
ensajrement. 




Lieut. Charles E. Douglass. 

On the morning of the 14th the advance on Kinston was resumed. 
The march was a most fatiguing one, the roads being either clay and 
water or sand and water ; and the advance was kept constantly busy 
removing the trees which the enemy had felled across the road to 
obstruct our march. Jt was soon rumored that we were nearing 
Kinston, and, following the troops in front, we did not notice at the 
time that we had turned off of the main road and were in a by-road 



102 HISTORY OF THE 

known as the Vine Swamp road, of which more hereafter. The 
first boom of the guns had put every man on the alert, and our brig- 
ade was advanced rapidly, accompanied by Belger's battery. At 
length we came to a cleared field on the left of the road, within about 
half a mile of the bridge. Here the brigade was formed in line of 
battalions in mass, two regiments on the right and two on the left of 
the road, with the battery unlimbered in the centre. We had no 
more than completed the formation when an aide came with an order 
for the Tenth Connecticut to move forward.* The Tenth seemed to 
be no more than out of sight beyond a piece of woods some hundred 
yards in advance, when another aide came with orders for our bat- 
talion to move forward. When in the road our march was quickened 
to a run, amid the cheers of the men, and, after going some two 
hundred yards, we met General Foster, who directed the head of the 
column off of the road to the right, where we formed line in a corn- 
field. We were no sooner in line than an aide came with orders for 
us to advance, and moving but a few yards to the front, we came out 
into an open space, only to see the last of the rebels running over the 
bridge, and men from one of our regiments rushing on to it, scatter- 
ing into the water the flaming material with which the enemy had 
endeavored to burn it. Here, also, we found the rest of the brigade, 
and here a section of Belger's battery was unlimbered, and sent shell 
upon shell after the rebels, some of whom could still be seen running 
up the rising ground opposite the bridge and back of the town. 

We quickly crossed the bridge, and our battalion entered the town 
and halted near the centre of it on one of the principal streets, which 
was strewn with guns and knapsacks, blankets, — which were often 
old quilts — and haversacks, and the many things a soldier carries, 
and throws away in his flight from a lost battlefield. A correspond- 
ent writing at the time gives this incident in the battle at this point, 
which is quoted here in order to keep up the connection with the one 
relating to our battalion and Belger's battery which follows it : 

* It seems no more than simple justice to allude to the gallantry of this regiment, ready 
at all times to bear the brunt of battle. We can pay no more deserving tribute to 
their bravery than by quoting from General Foster's official report : 

" The Tenth Connecticut Volunteers under Lieutenant-Colonel Leggett (as they always 
have done), behaved in the most gallant and dashing manner, making.a charge under a 
fire which in twenty minutes killed and wounded 90 men out of 340." 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 103 

" While the artillery was playing upon the enemy who were flyin"- 
through Kinston, preparatory to our crossing the bridge, General 
Evans sent by a flag of truce his compliments, etc., to General Fos- 
ter and requested time to place the women and children in safety, as 
he intended to return the fire with his artillery. Our guns ceased 
firing, and the women and children that could be found were con- 
ducted to a place of safety, Avhen we found, on again preparing for 
action, that the bird had flown ; that during the flag of truce General 
Evans had succeeded in conducting safely away what remained of his 
entire command." 

While we were at a halt in the town, as stated before, and some 
of the men were picking up and examining the contents of haversacks 
abandoned by the rebels, and these haversacks were simply small 
canvas bags, often containing nothing but a little corn meal. General 
Foster rode up to Captain Arnold and said, his face expressing great 
anger and his horse foaming with sweat : " The rebels have deceived 
me. They wanted time to remove their women and children, and I 
granted it, but instead of removing their women and children, they 
have removed themselves by running away. They are just over that 
hill yonder, and I have ordered Belger's battery forward, and I want 
the Fifth Rhode Island to go with them as quick as possible and give 

them ! " We started at once on the double-quick and joined the 

battery on a road leading from the town. Here the guns were un- 
limbered and a rapid fire was opened on the retreating enemy, but 
they were in too great a hurry to make any reply. Then some 
squadrons of cavalry came thundering over the bridge, and soon 
passed by us in pursuit. The brigade Avas then assembled and bivou- 
acked for the night in the open fields outside of the town. Consider- 
able impromptu foraging was done after the battle. In one case 
some non-combatant members of the battalion went to a large 
house and found two wagons at the door, with the mules hitched to 
them. These wagons were partially loaded with household goods, 
but had been abandoned when tlie rebels ran away. Their contents 
were soon tumbled out, and a quantity of bacon and other necessa- 
ries of a soldier's life were loaded in, and the wagons and teams 
taken to the battalion, which had already stacked arms on the ground 
it was to occupy for the night. Here the prospect was cheerless 



104 HISTORY OF THE 

enough, for most of the officers and men had fasted since early morn- 
ing. The wagon trains were not up, and it seemed that the hungry 
ones must go supperless to such beds as they could make on the frozen 
ground. Finally, permission Avas given to slaughter some cattle that 
were in an adjoining field, and the men thus managed to get some- 
thing to eat. 

The rebels had made elaborate preparations to burn the bridge by 
soaking piles of cotton with turpentine and placing charged shells 
among it, to be exploded by the flames, and thus prevent any one 
from approaching to extinguish it. It is stated that some of these shells 
exploded sooner than intended, and several of the rebels were killed 
Avhile firing this inflammable material. One poor fellow, who Avas 
shot by our men while he Avas setting fire to the bridge, fell into the 
flames he himself had kindled, and his clothing Avas burned oflf him. 
The body Avas thrown off the bridge Avith the burning cotton and 
other materials, and lay AA'here it fell, Avith the limbs drawn up and 
horribly contorted. They also set fire to a large quantity of cotton 
in the toAA'n, but our men extinguished the flames and saved nearly 
all of it. 

No better summing up of the results of this Avell fought and spir- 
ited battle can be given than that of the official report, Avhicli says : 

"We advanced on this town and found the enemy strongly posted at a 
defile through a marsh Ijorderino- on a creek. The position Avas so Avell 
chosen that very little of our artillery could be brought into play. The 
main attack, therefore, was made bj^ infantry, assisted by a fcAv guns 
pushed forward on the road. After five hours' hard fighting Ave suc- 
ceeded in driving the enemy from their position. WefolloAved them rap- 
idly to the river. The bridge OA^er the Xeuse at this point Avas prepared 
for firing, and was fired in six places, but we were so close belli nd them 
that we saved the bridge. The enemy retreated by the Goldsboro 
and Pikeville roads. Their force Avas about six thousand men and 
twenty pieces of artillery. Tlie result is that we have taken Kinston, 
captured eleven pieces of artillery, taken four hundred to five hundred 
prisoners, and found a large supply of quartermaster and commissary 
stores." 

The night in Kinston passed Avithout incident, and soon after day- 
light Ave Avere again on the move. Near the bridge road in town Ave 
saAV a smouldering heap of small arms, Avhich had been abandoned 
by the enemy. They had been gathered, the stocks broken by strik- 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 105 

ing them on the ground, thrown into a heap and then set on fire. 
We did not want them for our own troops, and liad no means to carry 
them away, so tliey were destroyed in this manner. Recrossing the 
bridge to the south bank of the Neuse, we saw but little evidence of 
yesterday's struggle for it. The dead had been buried and other indi- 
cations removed from sight. The line of march was along the 
principal county road, which generally ran parallel to the river. Tlie 
whole column was strung out along this one road, and most of the 
artillery was near the head of the line. The advance had not only 
to feel its way, but to remove the felled trees and other obstructions 
placed in it by the enemy. The low places were mud, and in passing 
them the advance would gain on the men struggling through the de- 
file behind, while the rear would close up and often come to a halt till 
the men in front had got through. Once through one of these places, 
the steps of the tired men would have to be quickened, sometimes to 
a run, to close up with those ahead, only to go through the same 
operation again. And, after a hard day's march, we bivouacked for 
the night only some fifteen miles from Kinston. As night drew near, 
and it became reasonably certain that we would halt in a short time, 
some of the men seized rails from tlie roadside fences and shouldered 
them. The example became contagious, and soon the whole line, as 
far as the eye could reach to the front and rear, presented the singu- 
lar and striking spectacle of a column of marching men apparently 
armed with fence rails. That night the men had an ample supply 
of fuel. 

A non-commissioned officer gives this description of the march : 
"Again we are on the way, and only those who have traversed 
the dense pine forests of North Carolina can form any idea how 
monotonous the journey was. We discovered only a few scattered 
farm-houses at intervals on our way. The trail of our line of 
march could be traced for miles by the smoke of burning rail 
fences and pine trees set on fire by our men, and although unlike 
the Israelites of old we had not tlie pillar of cloud by day, we cer- 
tainly had the pillar of fire by night. In the evening when tlie time 
drew near for the army to bivouac, the order would be given : ' Each 
man take a rail.' We would then sling our muskets, and, each man 
taking a rail from the fence by the roadside, would shoulder it and 



106 HISTORY OF THE 

march along. What a picturesque sight woukl present itself in the 
dark forests of that unfrequented region. As the long lines of rails 
loomed up in the darkness it required no great stretch of the imagina- 
tion to make them seem more ' terrible than an army with banners.' " 

Early the next morning, December 16th, the march was resumed, 
and about the middle of the forenoon we heard the dull booming of 
guns in front. Aides soon came dashing down the line to hurry up 
the troops in the rear. Our brigade being on this day one of the 
leading ones, we Avere soon closed up and going into position. We 
were now at a scattered hamlet on the Neuse River, called Whitehall. 
The road we were following turns off to cross the river by a "bridge, 
much in the same manner as at Kinston. At the first attack the 
enemy, without attempting a serious defence, retreated across the 
bridge and burned it before our troops could prevent them. They 
then took up a strong position on the north bank where they could 
command the road by wliich we were advancing. In order to pro- 
ceed it was first necessary to dislodge them. 

Wlien our battalion first arrived on the ground batteries were sta- 
tioned on tlie right of the road leading to the bridge, and were already 
engaged. In taking the first position assigned to us we moved to 
the left of the road, in what had been a cultivated field, and then up 
to the top of a ridge overlooking the town, near a road leading to the 
bridge across the river, and were followed by Belger's battery. Dur- 
ing our march to this point we were in full view of the enemy and 
subjected to a very severe fire. By one of the strange fortunes that 
occur in battle, we suffered no loss, though many narrow escapes 
were experienced. A piece of shell stri;ck Thomas INIcMahon, of Com- 
pany D, on the rolled blanket which he carried slung over his shoulder, 
and knocked him some distance out of the ranks. Picking up the 
piece of" old iron," he put it in his haversack as a trophy, and again 
took his place. In this case, as in many others of a like nature, the 
man tired of his souvenir, which must have weighed two or three 
pounds, and soon threw it away. We formed line on this bluff, and 
Captain Belger placed his guns in battery and opened fire. But we 
scarcely had time to look around us and take in our situation before 
we were ordered to a new position. Moving down to the river road 
again, we turned down the road leading to the bridge, and soon filed 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 107 

left otF this road and went into position close to the bank of the 
river. When we came into line we were received by a shower 
of bullets from the other bank, to which we replied with the best we 
had to give. The enemy's fire soon slackened, but as soon as we 
ceased firing they opened again, and we then renewed our fire with 
greater vigor than ever, and soon silenced them in our front, except 
a few scattering shots here and there. 

At this place, as well as the one we had so recently left, consider- 
ing the weight of the fire we were subjected to, the comparatively 
sliglit loss we incurred was a source of Avonder and thankfulness. 
Private Thomas Shippey, Company G, was mortally wounded. 
Color Corporal Benjamin F. Drown, Company C, was severely 
wounded in the right shoulder. Private Cornelius Sullivan, Com- 
pany F, was wounded in the cheek. Private Peter McCabe, 
Company G, was wounded in the hand. Private James Brady, 
Company A, was also wounded in the hand. Surgeon Potter and 
Acting Hospital Steward Burlingame had been down to see the 
wounded men, and were walking toward the Goldsboro road on 
their return, when a rebel sharpshooter below the bridge fired at 
them. The bullet passed diagonally between them, just missing the 
back of the surgeon's head and the nose on the face of his assistant. 
" Why, he means ns," said the surgeon as he ducked his head for- 
ward. '' He does," replied the assistant as he threw his head back. 

While the battalion was in position near the river, there occurred 
one of those incidents that give a touch of lunnor to the pathos of 
death in battle. During the firing a member of the battalion fell as if 
dead. He looked'as if he was dead. His comrades carried him out 
of their way to the rear, thinking he was beyond help. But the next 
day he was in his place, without a mark or scar to show for his sup- 
posed fatal wound, and only looking a little more " slieepish " than 
usual when rallied by his comrades about it. Another and a very 
different scene took place in another part of the line, wliich sliows how 
the excitement of battle often makes one totally insensible to the very 
presence of death. As the Forty-third Massachusetts was marching 
toward the front on the river a mere lad of another regiment Avas be- 
ing borne to the rear on a stretcher. Both legs had been carried 
away and an arm shattered by a shell. Looking up at the passmg 



THE DROWN GROUP 




Joshua C. Drown, Sr.,* 
Company A. 





Joshua C. Drown, Jr., 

SeigeaiU-Major. 



Benjamin F. Drown, 

Corporal Company C. 



* The patriotic record of this family deserves special mention. We give it 
as follows : 

Joshua C. Drovs'n, Sr., enlisted as a private in Company A, August 15, 
1862; discharged for disability, July 7, 18G3. 

Joshua C. Drown, Jr., enlisted as private in Company C, Dec. 10,1861; 
promoted to corporal, June 7, 1862; promoted to sergeant Company A, Feb. 4, 
1863; promoted to sergeant-major of the regiment, July IS, 1863; promoted to 
second lieutenant, Dec. 5, 1864 ; declined commission ; mustered out of ser- 
vice, Dec. 23, 1864. 

Benjamin F. Drown, enlisted as private in Company C, Nov. 4, 1861; 
promoted to corporal, June 7, 1862 ; wounded in right shoulder at Battle of 
Whitehall, IST. C, Dec. 16, 1862; promoted to second lieutenant, April 22, 
1864 ; mustered out of service, Dec. 23, 1864. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLEUY. 100 

men witli an eye that was as yet nndimmecl, he cried out, " Go in, 

boys, we're giving 'em tlown there 1 " Poor brave boy, lie liad as 

yet no thought for wliat the enemy had given him. 

■\Vhen the rebel artillery had been silenced and tlieir infantry fire 
had nearly ceased, leaving Company E to act as sharpshooters, the 
battalion moved from its position and regained the Goldsboro 
road. There we learned that Belger's battery had been stationed 
nearer the river, where it was within easy range of the rebel sharp- 
shooters, and that the battery had lost several men and a large inimber 
of horses. The enemy were building a small iron-clad gunboat at 
this place, and the unfinislied hull had been moored to the north bank 
of the river below the site of the bridge. During the battle a lieu- 
tenant from a New York regiment swam across tlie river, carrvin"- 
a petard of Greek fire, which he attached to the boat, and, firing the 
fuse, swam away. He escaped unhurt, and the boat was burned. 

The rebels at Whitehall had only delayed the march on Goldsboro, 
and the troops that had been in action there soon resumed their 
route. When nearing their halting-place for the night, the cry went 
up, " Take a rail ! " and that night the wearied men again had fuel for 
all, which was of itself no inconsiderable comfort on the coldest 
night they had yet experienced during the whole march. Our bivouac 
this nightwas within about eight miles of Goldsboro. For the last 
two days the supply of rations had been scanty, and foraging parties 
had been sent out to secure anythiiig and everything that could be of 
service in that line. Our acting-quartermaster, Lieutenant Prouty, 
had become such an adept in that business that no one had as yet 
actually sufi'ered for food. During the night Company E rejoined us. 

The morning of the 17th soon saw us in line and on the march. 
Not more than two hours after we started the sound of the guns that 
were with the advance gave us warning that Ave were nearing the ob- 
jective point of the expedition. As we approached Goldsboro the 
country became more open, and when our brigade finally reached the 
vicinity of the bridges we had come to destroy, the scene that met 
our view was very inspiriting.' Our brigade was assigned a position 
on high ground, overlooking the valley and approaches to tiie bridges, 
and we could distinguish the various regiments moving to the right 
and front in the direction of tlie river ; and even when we could not 



110 HISTORY OF THE 

see the men themselves, the bright colors of their waving banners 
marked their several locations. We were informed that a strong 
force of the enemy was posted south of the river — that is, on our side 
of it — along the high embankment of the railroad, to protect the 
bridge, and that behind this force Avas another equally strong, to 
cover the county road bridge and at the same time support the force 
guarding the railroad bridge, the framework of which we could see 
from our position. It seemed to us as we watched the movements 
taking place, that the object of the general was, by skilfully manani- 
vering the infantry and cavalry, and the heavy fire of the artillery, 
to force the enemy to the north bank of the river, and thus permit us 
to reach and destroy the bridge, and our brigade remained on this 
high ground, overlooking the plain below, Avhere this game of war 
Avas being played on a mighty scale. The rapid thud and beat of 
the guns, felt as well as heard, and the crackling fire of the advanc- 
ing skirmish line, the movements of the regiments sent to force the 
rebels from their place behind the railroad embankment, and the 
smoke, at one time settling over and veiling men and guns, and 
again lifting so as to reveal the men at work with fiendish zeal in the 
batteries, the puffs of Avhite smoke, sometimes high in mid air, and 
anon low on the ground, marking the places of exploding rebel shells, 
with the bright sunshine over all, combined to form a battle scene 
seldom witnessed in a soldier's lifetime. Exciting as it was at the 
time to some, the men generally lounged in groups on the sunny 
spots behind the stacks of arms, chatted, smoked, even yawned, and 
Avondered Avhen Ave Avould get orders to "go in." It was not for us 
to " go in" that day, for, as the sun began to decline, a rising col- 
umn of black smoke told us that our Avork at Goldsboro Avas done. 
At length marching orders came to us, and we moved back to the 
river road and started towards New Berne, or, as the men phrased 
it, " tOAvards home." 

We had not gone more than a mile Avhen a heaA'y artillery fire 
suddenly opened in our rear, and the column halted. General Fos- 
ter happened to be riding along the flank of our battalion at the time, 
accompanied by two aides. He was heard to ask, " What firing is 
that?" The reply from an aide Avas that he thought the batteries 
Avere shelling an old house near the river. He ordered one of the 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. Ill 

aides to return and ascertain the cause of the firing, and the other 
one to ride ahead and halt the troops now on the niarcli. A kw 
minutes after they had gone he seemed to grow very restless, and he 
finally galloped away toward the sound of the guns. Very soon 
afterward we were moved back to a point where a narrow by-road 
entered the main road from the left as we faced towards Goldsboro. 
Here Ave were formed in line across this by-road, which at this 
point ran through a wood filled with a dense underbrush, where 
we were ordered to lie down. A section of thirty-two pound field 
howitzers from a New York battery was placed so as to command 
this road to our front. The othcer in command of the guns sent one 
of his men down the road about one hundred and fifty yards, and had 
him strike matches and hold them breast high, while they sighted 
their guns on him in the darkness. 

We learned afterwards that as soon as it was evident that our 
troops had commenced their homeward march, the rebels crossed a 
strong force over the county road bridge above the burning railroad 
bridge, for the purpose of attacking and destroying our rear guard, 
which consisted of a small force of infantry, some cavalry, and Mor- 
rison's (New York) Battery. As soon as the movement was 
apparent, Belger's Battery F, and Riggs's (New York) Battery were 
sent for, and came up in time to form on Morrison's left just as the 
enemy's line came within range. Under Captain Belger's directions, 
the guns did not fire until the enemy, approaching in the most com- 
pact order, were within point blank range. Riggs's guns were trained 
so as to cross five with the other two batteries. " It's too bad ! " 
said our grim artillerist Belger, as he watched the splendid marching 
of the advancing rebels. At the word the guns loosed their storm 
of shrapnel and canister. The rebel regiments simply disappeared. 
Those uninjured could be seen scampering away in great haste. Not 
another shot was needed, though some were fired. The battle of 
Goldsboro was over. 

The batteries remained in position until all the troops left the field 
except the cavalry, when they moved away in the darkness. The 
Fifth remained in its position a long time to guard against any flank 
attack the rebels might now attempt on. the retiring column, and it 
was nearly eleven o'clock when we reached the place of bivouac. 



112 HISTORY OF THE 

All the troops had arrived on the ground and formed in column of 
regiments on each side of the road, facing towards Goldsboro, the 
direction from which the enemy must approach if they followed us. 
The scene that met the eyes of the men of our battalion was a very 
beautiful one. By the lines of the innumerable fires we could trace 
the locations of the various regiments. The cheers of the men and 
confusion of sounds, the greetings of congratulation by individuals, 
and the commands of officers, together with the feeling among all 
that victory had been achieved, combined to produce a most exhilar- 
ating effect on the men as they wearily trudged toward their 
resting-place. By the time we had halted it had grown very cold, 
and we underwent an alternate process of going to sleep and awaking 
with our teeth chattering, then toasting ourselves before the fire and 
then sleeping again, to be awakened in the same manner as before, a 
greater or less number of times, as the case might be, until morning. 
The next day, December 18th, we passed Whitehall bridge and 
camped not far from Ivinston. The following day we marched nearly 
to Kinston, and taking the main road to New Berne, we saw what 
we had not before known about, the rebel work which had been con- 
sti'ucted to defend the approach by the direct river road. They were 
not only in a naturally strong position, but they were well made ; 
and it would have cost us a terrible loss of life to have attacked them 
in front. But General Foster had skilfully flanked them by the way 
of the Vine Swamp road, and which we followed when Ave crossed 
the swamp on the morning of the battle. By this movement we 
were able to take all of the guns in the works above mentioned, 
and make a large portion of the force defending them our prisoners. 
When we halted at night it was understood that the next day's march 
would bring us to New Berne, and the men rejoiced accordingly. 
For the last two days the rations had been practically exhausted, and 
most of the men had nothing but hard tack to eat. Our foraging 
parties had cleared the country along the road of iiU food during our 
outward march, and now not even our quartermaster, Prouty, keen 
as he was, could scent out a single hidden stoi-e of bacon. • 

Surgeon Potter, in a private letter written immediately after the 
return of the expedition gives so vivid a picture of the impression the 
march made on him, that it will not bear a single elision or alter- 
ation : 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 113 

'' The weather during the expedition was fair, except that the 
nights were pretty cold for ' bivouacking.' Some mornings the ice 
would be half an inch thick, and for several days the ground did not 
thaw except in the sun during the middle of the day. 

"It w^as the most splendid siglit I ever saw to approach a biv- 
ouac from the rear of the column. The place selected for the night 
was always some extensive field, in which there would be hundreds 
of camp-fires made of the dry pitch-pine rails from the surrounding 
fences, the light from wliich shining on the clouds of smoke would 
make them clouds of glory. Besides the camp-fires, the country 
would frequently be on fire for miles on all sides, set in some cases 
by the carelessness of the soldiers, and in others by the cavalry in 
order to deceive the enemy and mask our camp, to prevent them from 
throwing long range shells among us at night. 

" It was a sorry-looking old country when we left it ; fires running 
all through the woods ; fences burned ; houses, from which the in- 
habitants had fied, all ' cleaned out ' ; cattle, hogs, poultry all taken, 
for we marched with only three days' rations of meat and depended 
on foraging for the rest; sweet potatoes, too, and corn and corn fod- 
der for the horses, everything was taken, and how the poor devils are 
to live this winter is more than I know. They have felt the presence 
of war, and it will take years of hard labor to restore what we swept 
away in a i'ew days, and yet we only did what an army must do that 
subsists on the country it travels through, or rather figlits through. 
People that remained at home and minded their own business were 
not molested, but had guards detailed to see that no one even stopped 
there. Well, those who dance must pay the fiddler. They hav,e 
brought this war upon themselves and must expect to suffer from it." 

A comrade in the battalion gives this account of the retrograde 
march from Goldsboro : 

" One night we bivouacked on a hill where we could see the camp- 
fires of the army spread out like a panorama before us. It was a 
grand sight. No pen or pencil could fully portray this scene. How 
cold it was that night. I laid down by a rail-fire and endeavored to 
snatch a few hours' sleep. In the morning when I awoke I fou)id 
the water in a puddle near my head frozen over quite tliick. 
8 



114 HISTORY OF THE 

" Arid now we were on the home stretch towards New Berne, and 
mighty glad we were to be so near our Canaan. We had marched 
so rapidly that we had no opportunity to perform the simplest ablu- 
tions, and with our smoke-begrimed features and ragged clothing, it 
is a question whether our own mothers would have recognized their 
offsprings. My shoes were giving out, and my clothing was in a 
demoralized condition generally, and I should not have made a very 
presentable appearance in polite society." 

The following day we marched steadily, with the usual halts for 
rest, until in the middle of the afternoon, when General Stevenson 
sent word to the regimental commanders that they could either 
march to New Berne that night or camp where they were, and move 
in at their leisure the next day. The word was passed along the 
lines and the decision left to the men. They generally decided to 
march in that night and have done with it. But the choice of march- 
ing or not at their pleasure, together with their fatigue, soon caused 
many to drop out, and it was but a meagre skeleton of the Fifth 
Battalion that entered camp that night at about nine o'clock, hav- 
ing covered some thirty miles in all that day. It was a pretty good 
march considering the fatigues the men had undergone during the 
past week. And so ended the expedition of which General Foster 
telegraphed to the general-in-chief of the armies that : 

" My expedition was a perfect success. We burned the railroad 
bridges at Goldsboro and Mount Olive, and tore up several miles of 
the track of the Wilmington and Weldon railroad. We fought four en- 
gagements, namely: ' Southwest Creek,' ' Kinston,' Whitehall,' and 
'Goldsboro,' and whipped the enemy handsomely each time." 

The following succinct report of Col. Thomas G. Stevenson, com- 
manding our brigade in the expedition, is worthy of insertion here. 
"We give it in full : 

Report of Col. Thomas G. Stevenson, commanding Second Brigade, of 
Engagements at Kinston, Whitehall and Goldsboro Bridge, December 
14, 16 and 17. 

Hdqrs^ Second Brigade, First Div., Dept. of N. C, 

New Berne, N. C, Dec. 21, 1862. 
Sir: I have the honor to rei^ort the following as the I'esult of the part 
taken by the Second Brigade in the late expedition : 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 115 

Agreeably to orders from headquarters this brigade joined the columu 
the morning of December 11th, on the Trent road, being third in posi- 
tion. Nothing of importance occurred until the morning of Sunday, 
December 14th, when within a few miles of Kinston the advance was at- 
tacked by the enemy in force. The Tenth Connecticut and Forty-fourth 
Massachusetts were ordered into position on right of road in support of 
battery ; the Fifth Rhode Island and Twenty-fourth Massachusetts on 
left of road to support Belger's battery. The Tenth Connecticut, Fifth 
Rhode Island, and Forty-fourth Massachusetts were then ordered for- 
ward to the advance. 

The Tenth Connecticut made a gallant charge, under a very galling 
fire, on the enemy, who were rapidly retreating over the bridge which 
had been set on fire. The Tenth Connecticut poured in a very destruct- 
ive tire, capturing a rebel stand of colors and a number of prisoners. By 
the exertions and gallant conduct of this regiment the bridge was saved, 
they being the first to cross. As soon as the fire on the bridge was put 
out, our forces crossed, the enemy retreating in all directions. No more 
resistance being offered, my brigade bivouacked on the outskirts of the 
town. 

Next morning we recrossed the river, continuing the line of march to- 
wards Goldsboro. 

On the morning of December 16th, the enemy made another stand at 
V/hitehall, occupying a strong position on the other side of the river, 
having burned the bridge. The Forty-fourth Massachusetts and Tenth 
Connecticut were ordered into position on the banks of the river, on the 
left of the road, leading to the bridge. Belger's battery was then ordered 
to shell the woods, the enemy's sharpshooters being so completely con- 
cealed that the fire of our infantry had but little effect. The line of 
march was then taken up toward Goldsboro, the Fifth Rhode Island 
and a few sharpshooters of the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts being left 
behind to engage the rebel sharpshooters till the rear of the column had 
passed. 

At noon on the 17th, arrived at railroad bridge over the Neuse River. 
Captain Belger's battery was ordered to the front, and did signal service 
in repelling the charges of the enemy. I formed my brigade in line of 
battle on the left of the road. The enemy having been defeated, I was or- 
dered to take up the line of march toward New Berne; had got but a few 
miles when I received orders to countermarch and support a piece of ar- 
tillery on the Everettsville road, where I remained about an liour. I 
received orders to march on once more toward New Berne, arriving here 
last evening (Deceinber 20). 

I cannot close this report without referring as I do with gratitude to 
the manner in which Col. F. L. Lee, commanding the Fortj'-fourtli Regi- 
ment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia ; Lieut.-Col. R. Leggctt, com- 
manding the Tenth Connecticut Volunteers; Maj. R. H. Stevenson, 



116 FIKTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 

commanding the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteers; Captain 
Arnokl, commanding the Fifth Rhode Island Volunteers, and Captain 
Belger, commanding the Rhode Island battery (which was attached to 
my brigade for the occasion), have seconded all my efforts throughout 
the whole expedition. Their prompt and efficient action has facilitated 
every movement which has been undertaken. 

The valuable services of the Tenth Connecticut Volunteers at Kinston, 
as of Captain Belger' s Battery at Whitehall and at Everettsville, were 
not rendered, I regret to say, without heavy loss, as indicated by the list 
of killed and wounded, which I transmit. 

Tiios. G. Stevensox, 
Colonel Commanding Second Brigade, First Division. 
Maj. Southard Hoffman, Assistant Adjutant-General. 

The Goklsboro Expedition had become matter for history and 
the men had almost ceased talking over the many incidents connected 
v^^ith it, when the following pleasant reminder that their deeds had 
not been forgotten at department headquarters was duly published : 

Headquarters Eighteenth Army Corps, 

New Berne, Jan. 15, 1863. 
General Orders, No. 18. 

In consideration of and as a reward for their brave deeds at Kinstoii, 
Whitehall and Goklsboro, the commanding general directs that the 
regiments and batteries which accompanied the exjiedition to Gokls- 
boro inscribe on their banners these three victories : 

Kinston, Dec. 14, 1862. 

Whitehall, Dec. 16, 1862. 

Goklsboro, Dec. 17, 1862. 

The commanding general hopes that all fields in future will be so 
fought that the record of them may be kept by inscription on the ban- 
ners of the regiments engaged. 

By command of Maj. -Gen. J. G. Foster. 

Southard Hoffman, Asst. Adjt.-Gen. 

The official reports state that the aggregate losses of the various 
organizations engaged in this expedition w^ere as follows : Officers 
killed, 4 ; wounded, 19 ; enlisted men killed, 88 ; wounded, 468 ; 
missing, 12; total, 591. 



CHAPTER IX. 



REGIMENTAL CHANGES AND FIRST REBEL ATTACK 
ON NEW BERNE. 

THE routine of camp life was at once resumed. Major Tew 
had arrived during the absence of the battalion on the 
Goldsboro Expedition, and had assumed command. 
The following sketch of Major Tew is from Baiilett's 3femoirs of 
Rhode Island Officers : 

"George W. Tew was born in Newport, R. I., on the IStli of Novem- 
ber, 1829. He had from his youth manifested an inclination for militarj^ 
exercises. In 1846, at the age of seventeen, lie joined the Rhode Island 
Horse Guards, a cavalry company composed of volunteers from Newport, 
Middletown and Portsmouth. The following j-ear Mr. Tew joined the 
Newport Artillery Company, and soon became its commander, a position 
which he held in 1801. 

"On the 15th of April, 1861, a telegram from Governor Sprague in- 
quiring how many men could be raised, reached Captain Tew while he 
was quietly at work at his trade. Laying his trowel on the wall, he re- 
turned an answer to the governor that he would raise a hundred men. 
Two days after he' reported in Providence with one hundred and eight 
men, rank and file. The company was mustered into the First Regiment 
Detached Militia, and was assigned the honorable position of color com- 
pany of the regiment. . . . Captain Tew returned with his company 
to Newport, on Sunday, the 28th of July, where they were welcomed by 
the entire city. 

" Captain Tew was promoted to major in tlie Fourth Rhode Island In- 
fantry, Oct. 11, 1861. On the 20th of the same month he was further 
promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Colonel Tew participated 
with his regiment in the battles of Roanoke Island and New Berne. 

"At the commencement of the siege of Fort Macon, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Tew was ordered by General Parke to take possession of a certain posi- 
tion near the fort. With four companies from his own regiment and four 
from the Eighth Connecticut, detailed to his command for that purpose, 



118 HISTORY OF THE 

be took the coveted position and drove in the enemy's pickets. On the 
20th of April, 1862, Colonel Eodman received his commission as briga- 
dier-general, and the command of the Fourth fell upon Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel Tew. 

"On the .'jth of July, he received orders to embark his regiment, and 
open his dispatches at sea. On opening his dispatches the destination of 
the regiment was found to be Fortress Monroe, where it had been or- 
dered with a view of joining the Ninth Army corps for the campaign on 
the Peninsula. On reaching that place the regiment debarked at New- 
port News, where the command was taken by Col. W. H. P. Steere, pro- 
moted from the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Second Regiment. The 
Fourtli was now ordered to Fredericksburg, Virginia, where thirteen of 
its officers, feeling the unjust manner in which Lieutenant-Colonel Tew 
had been slighted, resigned their commissions; and he, seeing how the 
other officers were affected, felt it his duty, also, to resign, which he ac- 
cordingly did on the 12th of August, 1862, and returned to Newport, 
where he remained until again called into the service. 

" He was not long at home, for, on the first of October following, he 
was commissioned as major in the Fifth regiment, then at New Berne, 
N. C, at which place he reported promptly for duty. Major Tew as- 
sumed the command of the Fifth until January, 1863, Avhen Colonel 
Sisson, who had been promoted from major of the Third Pihode Island 
Heavy Artillery, arrived and took command of the regiment.'' 

Major Tew was afterwards promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy, 
and again to the position of colonel of the Fifth, as will be seen by 
the subsequent pages of this history. 

It will be remembered that by special orders number 180, of the 
date of Oct. 11, 1862, Adjutant-General's office. State of Rhode 
Island, that Major Tew and Capt. J. M. Wheeler had been directed, 
among other duties, to unite in recommending to that department the 
names of persons in the battalion deserving commissions. Immedi- 
ately upon the return of the battalion to camp these officers set about 
the preparation of the several reports called for in that order, and 
also to comply with that section relating to the recommendations for 
promotions. One of these officers had been assigned to the Fifth 
from another Rhode Island regiment ; both had already won well- 
earned reputations as good soldiers ; and both were known to be free 
from any personal jealousies and entanglements with camp misunder- 
standings. Of course all who deserved promotion could not be men- 
tioned in their report, which naturally would not name more than 



FIF-TH RHODE ISLAND HEAVV ARTILLERY. 



119 



enougli to fill existing vacancies. It is to tlie great credit of the older 
companies that from their ranks had come so many men well quali- 
field to hold commissions, while it was just as certain that many yet 
remained who only wanted the opportunity to " show the stuff' that 
was in them." And, one of the real sorrows experienced by those 
who have spent )nany weary hours in compiling these pao-es is that 




Col. George W. Tew. 

not only hundreds of incidents deserving of mention, but the names 
of the brave men whose coolness and valor should have honorable 
mention here, are lost to us. In this light, then, the report of Mnjor 
Tew and Captain Wheeler, made at the time it was, is of interest, 
in so far as it shows that devotion to duty, fitness for command and 
bravery in battle did not always dictate the final selection of those 
who received commissions from the authorities at home. This report 
is of interest enough to present in full : 



120 history of the 

Headquarters Fifth Rhode Island Regiment, 

New Berne, Dec. 26, 1862. 

Dear Sir : We have at present but thirteen commissioned officers for 
duty with the regiment. The remainder of those filling the places of 
captains and lieutenants are worthy sergeants, who have served their 
country faithfully since the first organization of the regiment, and are an 
honor to their State and country. Their appointment at this time would 
greatly increase the efficiency of our regiment, and do justice to those 
who have proved themselves brave and true in more than one hard-fought 
battle. 

These sergeants have been filling the places and doing the duties of 
commissioned officers since the 1.5th of August last, without pay, except 
the seventeen dollars per month they receive as sei'geants. Some of them 
are getting discouraged, but I have assured them that your Excellency 
would not allow their services to go unrewarded. 

The regiment is now in a state of good discipline and drill, and all feel 
determined that, being the only Rhode Island regiment in this depart- 
ment, it shall be second to none. 

Should you think proper to appoint these officers at once, it would 
greatly increase our strength, and add much to our effectiveness in the 
field. 

Doctor Potter, who has filled the position of assistant-surgeon since 
the regiment left Rhode Island, has ably and faithfully discharged the 
duties of his office. Besides attending to our regiment, he visits Battery 
F daily, and has performed other duties in this department. According 
to our present organization, we are entitled to a surgeon and two assist- 
ant-surgeons. Doctor Potter is well qualified to fill the office of surgeon, 
and I hereby recommend him to your notice for promotion. 

Quartermaster-sergeant William W. Prouty has been acting as quarter- 
master since the death of Lieutenant Gladding, and has performed the 
duties of the office in an able and satisfactory manner, evincing his abil- 
ity to fill well the jiosition he has acted in. 1 would therefore recommend 
him to your notice for promotion to the position of quartermaster. 

I would not fail to mention also the name of Capt. Job Arnold, by 
whose indefatigable efforts this regiment has been brought up to its 
present high standing of discipline and drill. Should a vacancy occur, 
his promotion would be an act of justice and a benefit to the service. 

We are much pleased with the chaplain you have selected for us, and 
we hoi^e to see him with us soon, as we have no one here whose duty it 
is to visit the sick and wounded and give them Christian consolation in 
their dying hours. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVV ARTILLF.UY. 121 

Should you think proper to order him to join tlie regiment, you will 
receive the thanks of every officer and soldier in the command. 
I have the honor to be, governor, 

With much respect, your ob't. serv't., 
George W. Tew, 3[((jor ComrTy Fifth Beg't. li. I. Voh. 
J. M. Wheeler, Capt. Co. G., Fifth Bey't B. I. Vols. 
To His Excellency '\\'illiam Sprague, 

Governor of the State of Bliode Island. 

By order of the commander-iu-cliief, dated Prnvidctice. Dec. 
30, 1862, Colonel Sisson was " directed to embark at once with 
Company H and a detachment of recruits, and proceed with the 
same to join his regiment." The schooner A. E. Pern/ was char- 
tered, and Colonel Sisson and the detacliment designated by tiie order 
embarked on the 31st and sailed for New Berne January 7th. The 
Rev. Henry S. White, pastor of the Broadway Methodist Episcopal 
Church, having been appointed chaplain of the Fifth Regiment, the 
quartermaster-general of the State was directed to provide him 
transportation to his regiment. At length the governor of Riiode 
Island did honor to himself and the State lie represented by appoint- 
ing Capt. Job Arnold lieutenant-colonel of our regiment Tliis ap- 
pointment was tirst published in Providence Jan. 8, 1863, and on 
that day the last obsequies of our late ciuartermaster, Munro H. 
Gladding were solemnized by a public funeral, the remains having 
been brought from Beaufort for final interment at home. 

The next notable event that occurred in the regiment was the arri- 
val of Colonel Sisson in New Berne,.January 9th, with one hundred 
and three men for the regiment. The next day he was escorted from 
the Gaston House to Camp Anthony. Capt. Job Arnold commanded 
the escort. Colonel Sisson had been major of the Third Riiode Isl- 
and, serving in the department of Soiitli Carolina, and he came to us 
with a good record. On the same day he reported iiis arrival and 
assumption of command as follows to Governor Sprague : 

Headquarters Fifth Reg't. E. I. Volunteers, 

New Bei:xe, Jan. 10, ISfiS. 
To His Excellency William Spr.ygue. 

My Dear Sir: I have the honor to report my arrival here last evening 
with recruits. I brought one hundred and three enlisted men. As I an- 



122 HISTORY OF THK 

ticipated, I put on board every man who received his State bounty. 
Captain Silvey mustered one company of eighty-three men, and sent the 
balance in as a detacliment. I was to have had them formed into two 
companies, in order to liasten our regimental organization. I called on 
General Stevenson, who is now in command during the temporary ab- 
sence of General Foster, and succeeded in getting them mustered in as I 
desired. As we lacked one company to complete our organization, I 
feared I could not be mustered in as colonel. General Stevenson, how- 
ever, thought proper to do so. 

I am examining into the condition of the regiment, and shall as speed- 
ily as possible report thereon, and also in regard to appointments of 
officers from among the old companies. 

When I left home Captain Potter had at the armory some fifteen men. 
With the arrangements that were made for getting in recruits, I trust he 
will have added considerably to that number ere the receipt of this. 

Allow me to suggest in order to guard against desertion the propriety 
of having recruits formed in squads of about twenty men each. I have 
made arrangements in such an event to have them held here until a suf- 
ficient number is forwarded to entitle a company formation. 
I am, sir, with respect, 

Henry T. Sisson, 

Colonel ConuVy Fifth Beg' t R. I. Vols. 

We append the following sketch of Colonel Sisson : 

Henry T. Sisson was born Aug. 20, 1S?A. He received his education 
at the Gorham Academy, Maine, and at the University Grammar School, 
Providence. Prior to the Piebellion he had been prominently identified 
with the militia of Pihode Island. Bartlett in his Memoirs of Rhode 
Island Officers says: 

"He commenced his military career in the late war by joining the First 
Rhode Island Detached Militia, and was commissioned as paymaster with 
the rank of lieutenant. He was subsequently appointed captain of the 
First Rhode Island Artillery, Dec. 20, 1861, and major of the Third Heavy 
Artillery, Feb. 5, 1862, which position he resigned on the 6th of August 
following. On the .5th of November he was appointed colonel of the 
Fifth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, This regiment was originally en- 
listed as a battalion, under authority received by General Burnside 
from the War Department, as apart of his ' coast division,' with the un- 
derstanding that it should be enlarged to a full regiment. In about 
seven weeks five companies were filled, and, on the 27th of December, 
1861, they left Annapolis, Md., to join the North Carolina expedition. 
Others followed, and, on the 9th of Januai-y, Colonel Sisson arrived at 
New Berne and took command of the regiment. Among the military 
adventures of the Fifth, the raising of the siege of Little Washington, 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTILT.ERY. 123 

North Carolina, must ever occupy the most prominent place as a hazard- 
ous and brilliant achievement." 

The conspicuous part taken by Colonel Sisson in relation to this 
affair is so well related in the following pages of this work that it is 
not deemed expedient to dwell on it here. 

Busy times followed the arrival of Colonel Sisson with the re- 
cruits for the regiment. The older men, in point of service, justly 
regarded themselves as veterans. Witli them good discipline and 
good, soldierly conduct had become a habit. "With the recruits came 
an element before unknown in tlie history of tlie regiment. It is 
with a hearty concurrence in his views on this subject, temperately 
expressed withal, that w-e quote from one of the oldest and best 
officers of the regiment : 

" Experience has proved at all times that it is impossible to asso- 
ciate a large number of men together, especially as a military or- 
ganization, without including more or less of a vicious element. "VVe 
could not expect to be exempt from that general rule. A firm disci- 
pline worked its sure results in time, and when any of tliis element 
exhibited its characteristics in too marked a manner, it was soon sup- 
pressed. The introduction of this undesirable element was entirely 
owing to the system of recruiting adopted at home — the worst sys- 
tem that ever could have been devised. It was the system that pro- 
duced and developed the ' bounty jumper,' a something never before 
known or heard of in a civilized country. It is to be hoped tluit if 
the time should ever come to again form an army or recruit for one, 
no such system wrll again be tried. If men are to be drafted, make 
those serve who are drawn. If men volunteer, instead of giving 'a 
bounty, make the monthly pay larger. By su -h means the longer a 
man serves the larger will be his reward. Tliere will be no merce- 
nary motive for a man to desert his colors and get away with a large 
bounty, with the chance of getting two or three more besides." 

The demerits of the professional " bounty jumper " was long a 
sore subject of discussion in the camp of our regiment. With the 
arrival of the new recruits began a series of changes in positions af- 
fecting commissioned and non-commissioned officers all the way from 
the rank of lieutenant-colonel down to the grade of corporal. The 



124 



HISTORY OF THE 



first promotions to be mentioned will be those that were, with one or 
two exceptions, made upon other than regimental recommendations : 
Capt. Job Arnold, to be lieutenant-colonel, with rank to date from 
Jan. 7, 1863. 




Lieut. Charles E. Beers. 



Ephraim L. Warren, surgeon, with the rank of major, Dec. 10, 
18r,-_>. 

J. B. Greene, assistant surgeon, Jan. 17, 1863. Doctor Greene 
had served previously. 

Henry S. White, cliaplain, Jan. 7, 1863. 

Lieut. Benjamin L. Hall, captain, Dec. 13, 1862. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTILLEHY. 125 

Isaac M. Potter, captain, Nov. 20, 1862. He came to us from 
the Third Rhode Island, having been wounded at James Island. 
While at home on sick leave he was appointed to our regiment. 

Emelius DeMeulen, first lieutenant, Nov. 28, 1862. He had seen 
service as an officer under General Garibaldi, in Italy. 

George H. Pierce, of Providence, second lieutenant, Nov. 22, 
1862. 

William Sisson, Jr., second lieutenant, Dec. 25, 1862. 

During the period covered by these appointments, the following 
resignations occurred in the regiment : 

Capt. Allen G. Wright, Company B, Jan. 14, 1863. 

P^irst Lieut. John E. vSnow, Company C, Jan. 14, 1863. 

Capt. Jonathan M. Wheeler, for the second time, Jan. 26, 1863. 

At the time Avhen the thoughts of both officers and men were 
dwelling on the daily changes going on among them, w^e received on 
the afternoon of January 13th orders to hold ourselves in readiness 
to move at twelve hours' notice. " We are to go to Beaufort by 
cars and there embark, leaving our camp and garrison ecpiipage at 
that place ; so it really looks as if we should not come back." At 
this time our brigade remained the same as on the Goldsboro 
march, but was now known as the Second brigade. Fourth division, 
Eighteenth army corps. General Wessels commanded our division, 
and General Foster the corps. We were now hourly expecting or- 
ders to move, and rumors of coming movements, campaigns and 
battles were on every tongue. Day after day passed and still we re- 
mained in New Berne. On the 24th General P'oster left his head- 
quarters for some destination unknown, and again talk of a comin'g 
great campaign revived. A private letter of the date of January 
27th says : 

" The expedition has gone, and, alas! the Fifth and Belger's don't go. 
Night before last we got word to start for Beaufort at midnight. We 
packed everything, and then came an order to remain behind. Our ra- 
tions, etc., had been on tlie transport for some ten days, so we felt pretty 
sure of going, as also did Belger, whose battery and horses had been on 
board for a fortnight and had gone around to Beaufort. He received or- 
ders to remain at the same time we did, and also to turn over his horses 
to the Third New York Artillery, and get his guns ashore and bring 
them back here. The Twenty-fourtli Massachusetts and the Tenth Con- 



126 HISTORY OF THE 

necticut were all that went from our brigade or from our division. We 
do not know how many troops have gone, or how many remain. There 
is no doubt but that the enemy are in strong force at Kinston and Golds- 
boro, and if this place was left insufficiently guarded, they might 
come down and take it, but with the force we have here now they would 
have ' a gay old time ' if they attempted it." 

Two days later Colonel Sissoii wrote a letter to Governor Sprague 
so full of detail that it is of itself a part of the history of the regi- 
ment at this time. With the exception of an immaterial paragraph, 
it is presented in full : 

Headquarteks Fifth Regt. R. I. Volunteers, 

New Berne, Jan. 29, 186.3. 
To His Excellency Gov. William Sprague: 

The regiment, as I advised you in my former communication, I found 
in excellent condition, showing great proficiency in drill, particularly hi 
battalion movements, while the discipline and efficiency of the men re- 
flect much credit upon Major Tew and Captain Arnold, who, by their 
constant and earnest devotedness to the interests of the regiment, have 
brought it to a position which will vie with that of any other which you 
have sent into the field. 

Together with the list of those I have recommended for appointment, 
I hand you a report upon each individual named, and all the information 
I can gain in regard to them. You will notice that my recommendations 
are made verj^ nearly in accordance with the position which the jiarties 
are assuming at the present time. 

I will say that I have taken every means to arrive at the real merits 
and qualifications of those whose names I submitfor your consideration, 
both by personal observations and by making inquiries of those who 
have been placed in positions to judge of their capabilities. I feel as- 
sured that the best interests of the regiment will be subserved by the 
appointment of those I have named. In my reports I have not made 
mention of the newly appointed officers now at home, as they have never 
reported here. There are vacancies enough, however, in the companies 
here and the last company which is being recruited, to accommodate 
them all. 

I regret to inform you that my regiment was ordered to stop back, 
with others, for the protection of New Berne. I had been furnished 
with ammunition, had sent along my horses, had a vessel assigned me 
with orders to leave for Beaufort last Thursday night at twelve o'clock. 
At ten o'clock the order was countermanded, and we were ordered to re- 
main here. Belger's battery was all shipped, and he received orders to 
disembark and return. Rifle-pits have been traced and fortifications con- 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 127 

structed in anticipation of an attack. We consider ourselves well pre- 
l^ared, and are in readiness to receive callers. 

I am looking anxiously for the arrival of Captain Potter with Company 
K. We consider ourselves about a match for any of the regiments here 
now, and if we had that other company, should consider that we had a 
little the advantage. 

I am, sir, with respect, 

Hekry T. Sisson, 
Colonel ComcVg Fifth Eerft B. I. Vols. 

The enclosure, forwarded with this letter, containing the remarks 
regarding the capabilities of some of those recommended for pro- 
motion, was as follows : 

James Gregg, for captain Company A ; was in Carbineers First Rhode 
Island Detached Militia ; came out as first sergeant Company B; was 
promoted to second lieutenant in June, and is an efficient officer. 

Dutee Johnson, for first lieutenant; one of the best officers in the regi- 
ment. 

Charles E. Beers, for second lieutenant Company A; was one of the 
first to join the regiment at Camp Greene; was out with the First Regi- 
ment: has acted as commissary sergeant ; has performed his duties 
faithfully and satisfactorily in every respect. 

Thomas Allen, for first lieutenant Company B; came out with the 
regiment as corporal Company E ; was promoted to sergeant; is now act- 
ing as first lieutenant, and is very intelligent and well drilled. 

Christopher T. Pierce, for second lieutenant Company B ; is now a pri- 
vate in this regiment on recruiting service in Rhode Island, and has done 
as much for the regiment in way of recruiting as any other man; he is 
well educated, a young man of fine abilities and good habits; should like 
for you to see him before appointing. 

William W. Douglas, for captain Company C, now in Rhode Island on 
recruiting service; came out as second lieutenant Company B, and was 
promoted in June to first lieutenant. He is well posted, and has shown 
excellent fighting qualities. The writer thinks the governor is opposed 
to putting this officer forward, but being favorably impressed by what 
he has seen, and hearing a good report of him, he recommends him ac- 
cordingly without any disposition to crowd him upon his excellency. 

James Moran, for captain Company D; was transferred from Third 
Regiment, and acted as captain of the company during the sickness of 
Captain Grant, and also during the absence of Lieutenant Douglas. Is 
a fine officer, of good judgment, and very brave. 

Walter H. Luther, for first lieutenant Company D; came from War- 
ren, R. I.; is a nepheAV of Governor Turner; was in Company G, First 
Regiment Rhode Island Detached Militia; is well qualified for a lieu- 
tenancy. 



128 HISTOHY OF THE 

George G. Hopkins, for captain Company E ; a Newport man; came 
out second lieutenant Company C; was promoted to first lieutenant in 
June; has acted as adjutant about three mouths during sickness of the 
adjutant; well qualified to take command of a company. 

Josiah D. Hunt, for second lieutenant Company E; came out in June 
last with first squad of Company F as sergeant; a man of great spirit 
and energy, excellent morals, and a good soldier. 

William K. Landers, for captain Company F; has had command of the 
company for some time, and has filled the position with great credit to 
himself. 

Charles F. Gladding, for first lieutenant Company F; is of the firm 
of Peckham & Gladding, of Providence; came out as hospital steward; 
a man of much coolness and bravery; steady and attentive to his duties; 
is very popular, and his appointment is strongly urged by the officers 
here. 

Charles E. Douglas, for second lieutenant Company F; was in Company 
A, First Rhode Island Detached Militia ; came out as fifth sergeant Com- 
pany B; is modest and unassuming, and a promising officer. 

John H. Robinson, for captain Company G ; came from Newport; was 
with the first regiment; came out as sergeant; has had charge of com- 
pany for some time; commanded them in last engagement, and is well 
qualified to command a company. 

Henry P. Williams, for first lieutenant Company G; is from Woon- 
socket; came out as second sergeant Company D; a worthy young man 
and a good officer. 

Henry B. Landers, for captain Company H, from Newport; was in 
First Regiment; came out as first sergeant Company C; promoted to sec- 
ond lieutenant; one of the best officers we have. Took charge of a corii- 
pany of New York roughs on their arrival here, and managed them with 
fine ability. 

Edward F. Angell, for first lieutenant Company H; was in First Regi- 
ment ; came out second sergeant Company A; is faithful and steady. 

Charles Taft, for first lieutenant Company I; from Pawtucket; was 
out in First Regiment; was made first sergeant Company E, by promo- 
tion of Lieutenant Hall; had charge of company about three months; 
a valuable officer. 

William W. Prouty is recommended for quartermaster; was formerly 
• quartermaster-sergeant, but has done quartermaster's duty for a long 
time; is well known in the department here, and thoroughly understands 
his duties; it would be for the interests of the regiment to have him 
appointed; it is understood that the field officers have been fixed upon, 
therefore they are not mentioned. 

Respectfully submitted, etc. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTILLEKY. 121) 

In a letter to Governor Sprague of tlie date of Feb. 13, 18G3, 
Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold says : 

"Probably ere tbis comes to baud, Colouel Sissou's report ^vi^ have 
readied you. Colonel Sisson called Major Tew and myself to deliberate 
upon tlie qualifications of tbose recommended for promotion. He bas 
spoken in detail of eacb, and so nearly does bis report conform to my 
knowledge of tbem, I deem furtlier particulars unnecessary. I beartily 
endorse bis recommendations."' 

And now let us turn for a moment from tlie consideration of pro- 
motions and the disappointments arising from bliglited hopes of 
active service amid other scenes, to that side of life in camp that is 
only found amid the sick and wounded. Our new chaplain, the 
Rev. Henry 8. White, had reported for duty, and he shall tell of his 
first experience in his new position : 

" Yesterday and to-day have been spent in part at the hospitals. Often 
have my eyes been filled and voice choked in these holy duties. Our no- 
ble hero, young Drown, of Warren, while holding the colors in liis right 
band, received a musket ball in bis right shoulder at the battle of White- 
ball, and the collar-bone and a part of the arm were shattered, and ele- 
ven pieces have been taken out. Do you think I found him sad and 
down-hearted? No. His eye flashed and he seemed as ardent as at the 
hour when be enlisted. AUour men in the hospital, some twenty, per- 
liaps, are well cared for, and doing well generally. 

" But a few days ago we were following tliese teachers and clerks, mer- 
chants and tradesmen, farmer lads and sailor boys, tliat form the rank 
and file of our Fifth Rliode Island Regiment, as they marclied tlirougli 
winter rain or snow, with swollen and mud covered feet, in search 
of a vigilant enemy bidden in defensive works, only reached by fording 
waist-deep streams, or floundering through tangled swamps, flooded 
with freezing water, amid a shower of bullets and shell. We saw thefii 
tired, worn and shelterless, snatching a few liours of such rest as ex- 
hausted nature alone can give, on frozen ground or under pitiless rain. 
Then we saw tbem where the battle raged, and the fires of destruction 
followed their steps with clouds of smoke by day and pillars of fire by 
night. And these men, whose deeds vie with those of the Xorsemen of 
old, returned to a life described in the following account of a Sunday in 
Camp Anthony. 

" Let me give you a picture of our Sabbath. The morning was one of 

the loveliest of a southern winter— warm, clear and pleasant. At ten 

came the usual Sunday morning inspection. Tbis is no form merely, I 

assure you. Every one did tlie best be could to appear like a soldier. 

9 



130 HISTORY OF THE 

Colonel Sisson took each man's rifle and examined it. Each knapsack 
was opened, clothing examined, the best method of packing explained, 
etc. Every part of the soldier's dress and equipments was noticed. 
Every tent was entered by the colonel and staff and inspected. If ven- 
tilation was defective, it was noticed, and the company officer in com- 
mand directed to rectify it. The quarters of the men were clean, 
comfortable and neat. In some instances they were fitted up with great 
taste. On one centre-table I saw photographs of those well known at 
home. This seemed to greatly please the colonel, as it certainly did me 
and others. The men are in good heait, and vie with each other in keep- 
ing clean, and making their quarters neat and comfortable. Each kitchen 
sink was carefully examined. The dishes were taken down and in- 
spected. I do not believe there is a yard in Providence kept as neat as 
is the camp of the Fifth Rliode Island. I must confess that I am dis- 
appointed. To be sure my experience is limited, but it does not seem to 
me that a camp is that low, corrupt place that some of us have been led 
to believe. 

" In the afternoon those who chose to go formed in line, and with music 
marched to the Baptist church for service. It was an hour of deep inter- 
est to me. I saw many a tear, and felt that God was in the place. There 
is a fine choir among our men. I doubt if better singing can be often 
found. At the close of service we marched back to camp to some mar- 
tial air. At dress parade, after a dozen verses of the ' Good Word ' 
were read and prayer was offered, the regiment sang the doxology, and 
the benediction closed the religious services of the day. Evening jirayer 
meetings will be held as soon as the room is ready. 

" As night closed in, the voice of holy song came from many of the 
tents, and as in the calm moonlight I looked upon the tents and camps 
upon every side, it seemed to be God's hosts, and the overlooking stars 
smiled as the messengers of heaven." 

Governor Sprague acted promptly on the recomnaendations for- 
warded to him by issuing commissions to fill nearly all of the exist- 
ing vacancies on the 14th of February. They were soon known in 
camp, formally published, and many of those who had been filling 
places of great responsibility for months at last had tardy justice done 
to them. They were as follows : 

Quartermaster-Sergt. William W. Prouty, to be first lieutenant 
and quartermaster, vice Munro H. Gladding, who died Nov. 2, 1862. 

Company A, Second Lieut. James Gregg, to be captain ; Sergt. 
Dutee Johnson, Jr., to be first lieutenant ; Sergt. William H. Durfee, 
to be second lieutenant. 

Company B, Sergt. Thomas Allen, to be first lieutenant. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLKllV. 131 

Company C, First Lieut. William W. Douglas, to be captain ; 
Leatuler A. Davis, to be second lieutenant. He was appointed first 
lieutenant February 9th, and resigned April 4th. 

Company D, Second Lieut. James Moran, to be captain. Ca[)- 
tain Moran had held a commission longer than any other officer in 
the regiment, and was the only one who was not transferred from 
the company he was first mustered with. Sergt. Walter H. Luther, 
to be first lieutenant; Christopher W. Rowland, to be second 
lieutenant. Lieutenant Howland was a private in the Twelfth Reo-i- 
ment, and was promoted for gallantry in the battle of Fredericks- 
burg, Va., Dec. 13, 1862; his commission to date from Dec. 27, 
1862, and assigned to our regiment. 

Company K, First Lieut. George G. Hopkins, to be captain. 

('ompany F, F'ii-st Lieut. William R. Landers, to be captain. 
Hospital Steward Charles F. Gladding, to be first lieutenant. Sero-t. 
Charles E. Douglas, to be second lieutenant. 

Comf)any G, Sergt. John H. Robinson, to be captain. Commis- 
sary Sergt. Charles E. Beers, to be second lieutenant. 

Company H, Second Lieut. Henry B. Landers, to be captain. 
Sergt. Henry P. Williams, to be first lieutenant, Joseph Mclntyrc, 
to be second lieutenant. He had been commissioned some time pre- 
viously and assigned to this company. He resigned February 17th 
to ac(!ept a captain's commission in the Second Regiment, and was 
killed in the first engagement after he joined it. George F. Turner 
succeeded hiui, being transferred from Company B. This officer 
joined at the same Time Company G arrived, and he immediately be- 
came a favorite witli all for his many good qualities. 

Com|)any K, John Aigan, late of the Third Regiment, to be cap- 
tain. Robert Thompson, to be first lieutenant. This officer never 
joined the regiment, but was detailed on the stafl^ of General Richard 
Arnold, of the United States Army. 

"Our camp is really the most elegant and cleanly kept of any I ever 
saw," writes our chaplain to Governor Sprague, under the date of March 
3d. ''You cannot find a chip, shell or stone from end to end of it, after 
eight A. M. The men have worked much and with pretty good cheer 
upon it. The other day you did a thing for us that set both line and staff 
on a grand round of cheers for our gallant governor, and. as I saw twenty 



132 HISTORY OF THE 

oi- tliirty men, yesterday, in great glee chasing and kicking a small ball 
of yarn as large as your fist, I thought whether or no your excellency 
would not like to do a thing for the men that would please them as well 
as the commissions did the officers, by sending us two or three foot-balls 
and eight or ten balls for the hand and bat. The Massachusetts men had 
some balls come the other day, and they make great fun for the men, and 
if you can have some sent to us in your name as a present to the men 
for fixing up the camp, it will make them feel well toward you and do 
them good. 

"You may think me a queer man for making this request, but anything 
that will cheer and help keep the men in good heart that I can get by any 
honorable means, I mean to obtain. I presume it does not displease you 
to see the men you send out earnestly engaged in trying to help build up 
the regiment and create good feeling among men and officers." 

The chaplain meant to have those balls even if he had to add to 
his " honorable means " a sly appeal to the governor's w^ell known 
and very good natured egotism, for he adds by way of postscript : 
" If you should not find it in your heart to pardon me for this re- 
quest, I will submit to any penalty you may appoint only give ?ue 
the pleasure of hearing three rousing cheers for our governor — when 
the balls come." 

And the kind-hearted governor, with the good nature for which he 
was noted, endorsed on the chaplain's application, '' Referred to tlie 
adjutant-general, hoping the balls will be furnished." lint tlie men 
were destined to see other than foot-balls before the chaplain saw the 
fruition of his desires in that line. 

In the meantime the rebel authorities in Richmond, dissatisfied 
with the action of the officers in command in North Carolina, had 
appointed Gen. D. H. Hill to the command of the district of wiiich 
Goldsboro was the headquarters. His troops were composed of 
Daniels's and Pettigrew's infantry brigades, Robertson's cavalry 
brigade, and some artillery. In March Garnett's brigade from Pe- 
tersburg was ordered to report to Hill. General Hill was a native 
of the State, and for skill and judgment ranked among the best 
officers in tlie rebel army. He assumed command at Goldsboro 
about February 1st. Partly with the view of taking the men to the 
rations instead of carrying the rations to the men, and partly to open 
a vigorous campaign against General Foster, and thus recover their 



FIFTH imODE ISLAND HKAVV A U II I.I.KK V. 133 

lost prestige, a portion of General Long.street's corps of the Army of 
Nortiiern Virginia was sent down into tliis State. 

It was about this time that General Foster wrote to the War De- 
partment : 

" I have received information that the corps of Maj.-Gen. D. ir. Ilill 
is within the limits of this State, and that he commands this department. 
I referred in my last letter to some iron-clads being constructed on the 
Tar and Roanoke rivers. I understand that the iron-clad on the Roa- 
noke River is nearly completed, and to prevent its being destroyed by 
our gunboats before it is ready for service, the enemy have assembled a 
large force at Hamilton, said to be 7,000 infantry, 1,000 cavalry, and seven 
batteries of between six and eight pieces each. The fortifications at 
Rainbow Bluff, just below Hamilton, destroyed by me, last November, 
are being repaired and heavy guns being mounted from AVeldon. A con- 
siderable force is at Weldon, and the enemy are busily engaged in forti- 
fying that point. To prevent the enemy from putting their threat into 
execution of taking the town of Plymouth, taking the gunboats or driv- 
ing them out of the river, I jiropose to reinforce that point, and at the 
same time I have jirepared a strong reconnoissance under General Prince, 
to move in tlie direction of Wilmington, and so prevent too great an ac- 
cumulation of force on the Roanoke until such time as I shall be strong 
enough to attack with advantage. The command is only watching for a 
conciition of the roads to move, the recent rains having rendered them 
almost impassable." 

General Hill is reported to have said to a delegation of citizens 
that waited upon him at Kinston about the 1st of March, that 
"On the 14th of March, 1862, New Berne was taken by the Yan- 
kees, but on the 14th of March, 1863, it will be ours again." 

The enemy's forces began their movement on the 1 1th of March, and 
on the 13th their scouting parties had appeared at different points, and 
Belger's battery and the Fifth and Twenty-Fifth Massachusetts regi- 
ments were sent to support the forces picketing the Trent River road. 
It should be borne in mind that Kinston lies a little north of due 
west from New Berne, and that between these places the Ncuse 
River makes quite a bend to the north, with a large swamp lying in 
the hollow of the bend. The river road from New Berne to Kinston 
rnns north of this swamp, while Kinston road passes on the south, 
and is the shorter and better highway. On both of these roads, as 
well as on the railroad, strong picket reserves were stationed, from 



134 HISTORY OF THE 

eight to ten miles out, so that we would have timely warning of the 
approach of an attacking force in that quarter. Evidently aware 
that ample preparations had been inade to receive him on the right 
bank of the Neuse, General Hill decided to make his attack on the 
left or north bank. On this side of the river, just above the town, 
and nearly opposite the camps of our troops in that quarter was a 
small work, still in the process of construction, known as Fort An- 
derson. No guns had yet been mounted in it, and it was garri- 
soned by six companies of the Ninety-second New York Volunteers, 
Tinder the command of Colonel Anderson, a brave and determined 
officer. An eye witness of the action that ensued, belonging to the 
Fifth Rhode Island, gave at the time this description of it : 

" Saturday, March 14th, at dawn, a strong force of the enemy, 
under General Pettigrew, placed sixteen guns in position near a small 
fort opposite the town on the north, across the Neuse River. Two 
or three thousand infantry supported this artillery. They came into 
a clearing about eight hundred yards from the fort, and from my po- 
sition I could see every movement, both in the fort and among the 
rebels. As soon as two or three guns were in position they com- 
menced a rapid fire of shell and canister. After two or three rounds 
they sent in a flag of truce to Colonel Anderson, commanding the 
fort, demanding a surrender, saying that a combined attack was to 
be made that day on New Berne by General Longstreet's whole com- 
mand, and that resistance was' useless. To gain time for the gun- 
boats to get into position. Colonel Anderson asked for half an hour 
to send and consult General Foster. The flag went back and re- 
turned, granting the half hour, and when it was up came in again to 
learn the result. The messenger sent to General Foster had not yet 
returned, and Colonel Anderson replied : ' My orders are to liold this 
place, and I shall never surrender it ! ' During this time the rebels 
had put all of their guns in position, and formed their infantry in 
three lines behind tlie guns. General Pettigrew was mounted on a 
large, white horse, and was constantly riding up and down the lines 
as if giving orders. 

" When the flag went back with Colonel Anderson's fitial reply, 
the rebels opened a i*apid and terrific fire, and the fragments of sliell 
and the canister shot fell into the water, on this side of the fort, so 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTII.LKUY. loO 

that the surface of the river looked like a pond in a hail-storm. The 
men in the fort, not wishing to show their strength, lay close behind 
their sand walls and waited for the expected charge. During tlie 
four hours of the cannonade only two men were severely hurt, and 
three slightly wounded by a shell. The boys got ready for the charge 
by biting off cartridges and placing them on the logs of the revet- 
ment to the breastworks, so as to be ready to fire fast. A thirty- 
pounder rifled gun threw shells across the river, and one struck within 
a short distance of the camp of the Fifth Rhode Island, just at the 
fort. It did not burst, and stands at my feet in my tent. You will 
soon have a chance to inspect this in Rhode Island, wliich you will do 
with all the more interest as it is a British shell and a splendid thing. 
The gunboats were late in getting into position, as the Hunchback 
was aground and the others were below the town. 

"A schooner with one gun, manned by negroes, lay in a good po- 
sition, and at once entered into the fray with great gusto, and sent 
her neat compliments directly to the spot. I stood thirty or forty 
yards from this schooner and saw the men work. There was only 
one white man on board, and when men tell me the negroes will not 
fight, I shall beg leave to differ with them in opinion. The gunboats 
were struck a number of times. For nearly four hours the rebels 
had it all their own way, but time brings changes. I have seen ' a 
skeddadle.' The gunboats came around from the Trent River, and 
opened fire, and if you had been there you would have seen ' a 
skeddadle,' too. The batteries in town and tlie gunboats threw from 
twelve to one hundred-pound shells, and the rebels went into the 
bushes faster than they came out. One tliirty-pounder siege gun in 
the rebel batteries burst, killing a number of their own men, and it 
is now in our camp. They attempted to creep up in the afternoon 
and plant a battery in the woods below, but were unable to gain a 
foothold. 

"Just before dinner a train of platform cars with a locomotive in 
the rear and a twelve-pound brass Napoleon on the front car, stopped 
before our camp. Within twenty minutes from the receipt of the 
order we were dashing out to the camp of the Fifty-eiglith Pennsyl- 
vania, Colonel Jones commanding, doing picket duty at Batchelder s 
Creek, some eight miles from New Berne, on the Kinston railroad. 



136 HISTORV OF THE 

" Soon after reaching this picket station it was reported from head- 
quarters that from eight to ten thousand rebels, with thirty guns and 
some cavalry, had reached a point on our flank nearer New Berne 
than we were, and Colonel Jones was ordered if pressed to retire on 
New Berne, fighting his way as he came in. Captain Douglas with 
his Company C from our regiment, and one company from the Fifty- 
eighth Pennsylvania, went up the railroad, and the enemy in small 
force retired beyond Coal Creek. About dusk the outer pickets were 
driven in. Colonel Arnold suggested that tattoo be beaten in several 
places, and the cars were kept running that tlie enemy might be led 
to think our force much larger than it really was.* 

"About nine o'clock the scouts reported a small force within 
about a half a mile of our camp. Major Tew, with the companies 
of Captains Moran and Gregg and one piece of artillery, were posted 
so as to defend the road leading from the Trent road to our camp, 
the other end of which was supposed to be in possession of the enemy. 
Major Tew's command spent the night in throwing up a rifle-pit, and 
every preparation was made by Colonels Jones and Arnold for a des- 
perate defence. Colonel Ai-nold informed me that unless an attack 
was made before morning, one would not be made. ICarly in the 
morning, Sunday, the 15th, Colonels Jones and Arnold concluded 
that as the rebels had not attacked them, they would go out and see 
what had become of them. Four companies of the Fifth Rliode 
Island and a company of cavalry went two miles towards Kinston 
on the railroad, then four miles to the left to the Red House road to- 
wards Kinston, and then some four or five miles to Deep Gully, a 
small, deep creek, in a deep cut. The ashes were still warm where 
the enemy had had their camp-fires, and the trees were splintered 
from the firing of the previous day. 

" We learned here that Belger's battery was planted in the face of 
the enemy, supported by two regiments of infantry (Fifth and 
Twenty-fifth Massachusetts) the day before, and, just as things began 
to be lively, an order came to retire on New Berne. Deep Gully 
bridge was torn up, and a large pine tree lay in and across the road 

*This ruse of Colonel Arnold's of running the cars during the night, is considered by 
those competent to judge, as having been the chief reason for causing the rebels to with- 
draw' from their position in the vicinity of Batchelder's Creek, as they supposed our 
troops at this point were receiving heavy reinforcements, and is indicative of the fore- 
thought and sagacity of this cool-headed and resolute ofiicer. 



FIFTH REIODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTIM.EKV 



[:M 



on this side. Sixteen voliniteers went some two or three miles to our 
front and found the enemy's camp-fires still burning, but thcv did not 
see a single rebel. Just as we had finished our work and were 
about to return, two or three companies of cavalry came dashiii"- 
past from the direction of New Berne. On our return to the post 
we met Colonel Amory witli his brigade and some artillery moviii"- 





Hospital Steward John K. Burlingame. 

out. This force encamped about three miles from Deep Gully, and 
the next morning went some four miles farther towards Kinston, and 
there formed in line of battle, sending some cavalry still further. 
They found no enemy, but learned that the evening before some 
20,000 (?) troops passed on their way to Kinston. 

" In our own opinion we had not thought our scouting any great 
thing, but when we saw the force General Foster thought necessary 



138 HISTORY OF THE 

to make this reconnoisance, and do just what we had done some 
hours before with a few hundred men, we began to think that possi- 
bly it might have been a respectably brave thing to do. Returning 
to the camp at Batchelder's Creek safe and in good cheer, we found 
orders for us to return to our camp. When we reached our quar- 
ters the usual quiet reigned over both town and camp. No evidence 
of the turmoil and struggle of the previous day was visible. The 
rebel attack on New Berne, on the first anniversary of its capture by 
our forces, had ended in an ignominious failure." 

Just at the time the. expected attack on New Berne engrossed 
every mind, it became generally known in camp that we were 
to have another change in the field officers of our regiment. 
And this time it caused universal regret, for it was understood 
that Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold, who had so recently received his 
long-deserved promotion, had decided to sever his connection with 
the Fifth Rliode Island. " In this he was actuated by motives that 
reflected equal credit upon him as a soldier, a gentleman and a 
friend." The opportunity had been offered to him to be transferred to 
another regiment, without increase of rank, thus creating a vacancy 
which could be filled by the promotion of Major Tevv. Personally he 
did not desire to change. But it seems that it was our Colonel Ar- 
nold that was wanted in the Seventh Regiment, not some one else ; 
and with that unselfishness for which he was already noted, he felt 
that he could not stand in the way of the advancement of a brave 
and worthy fellow officer. He therefore decided to accept the prof- 
fered transfer. The official papers came to the regiment just at the 
time the enemy appeared in force in front of New Berne. He could 
not see his old comrades meet dangers which he did not share, so he 
declined to accept the transfer until the expected battle was over. 

The following sketch of Colonel Arnold is taken from a report of 
the Rhode Island Society for the Encouragement of Domestic In- 
dustry : 

" The youngest son of Stephen G. and Mary (Angell) Arnold, was born 
in Smithfield, Jan. 18, 1827. Removing early to Providence, he received 
a common school education at the First District School. At the age of 
thirteen he went to New ^ork, and spent four years in the dry goods 
store of his brother, Jolin Arnold. Returning to Providence at seven- 



FIFTH RHODF ISLAND HEAVY AKTILLKRY. 139 

teen, he entered the manufactory of Messrs. Payton i% Hawkins, where 
he learned the trade of jeweler and engraver, which pursuit he followed 
until the breaking out of the war, in 1861. 

" During these years, by well selected reading, he had acquired very 
valuable and varied information. As a skilled mechanic, he had famil- 
iarized himself with all valuable improvements in machinery. But the 
study of horticulture and agriculture were his chief delights, and he 
hoped for a time when he could devote himself to these. 

" Thoroughly informed on political questions, he foresaw the great 
struggle of the nation, and abandoned all other occupations and personal 
aspirations for the service of his country at the first call to arms. 

"Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold, when in command of his regiment, 
showed great talent for organization and a genius for command, as well 
as extraordinary celerity in deciding upon and executing field move- 
ments. In disciplining his regiments he substituted a system of rewards 
for punishments. His men loved and confided in him, while at the same 
time, his decision was inflexible and his rule absolute. Colonel Arnold 
was one of the best specimens of the citizen soldier sent by Rhode Isl- 
and to the war. 

"When his own health broke down from exposure and arduous ser- 
vice, only eighty men were left in the Seventh Regiment fit for service. 
At intervals, after his return, he was able to a;ttend to business. On 
June 16, 1864, he married Anna Maria, daughter of Job Angell. At 
about this time he became a member of the firm of Mooney, Arnold & 
Shaw, manufacturers of gas burners. 

" Colonel Arnold suffei-ed much from the disease w'hich had fastened 
itself upon him, but was always hoijeful, cheerful and thoughtful of 
others, even when confined to his room, and gradually wasting away 
during the last year. 

"Colonel Arnold died December 28, 1869. His wife with one chikl, 
survive him." . . . 

Colonel Sisson had been home for some time on leave of absen^L-e, 
mainly with the idea of obtaining men enough to fully complete the 
organization of ten full companies for the regiment, and Lieutenant- 
Colonel Arnold was thus in command at Batchelder's Creek on the 
14th and loth. Upon our return to camp the transfer was officially 
completed, and Major Tew was appointed to fill the vacancy that en- 
sued. Thorndike C. Jameson, formerly chaplain of the Second 
Regiment, was then appointed major in our regiment, to fill the 
vacancy caused by the promotion of Major Tew. 

No sooner had the regiment returned to camp than it was deter- 
mined that Colonel Arnold should not be allowed to depart from 



140 HISTORY OF THE 

among us witliout first presenting him with some testimonial of the 
universal love and respect felt for him by both officers and men. For 
this purpose the line officers of the regiment procured an elegant sash 
and a fine field glass. Nor was this feeling toward Colonel Arnold 
confined to the Fifth Rhode Island, for no sooner was tlie intention 
known than the officers of Battery F claimed tlie right to join in this 
expression of esteem. The men, with a fine instinct, happily de- 
cided upon a testimonial which not only showed how sincere and 
unanimous was their regard for this noble-minded and unselfish gen- 
tleman, but how surely they knew they were presenting him with 
something that money could not buy, and which he would ever after 
treasure with that just pride wliich only men like him could feel. 

The idea first came like an inspiration to Hospital Steward Bur- 
lingame. It had only to be mentioned to the men to be adopted and 
acted upon at once. To this end an engrossed memorial was pre- 
pared and signed by every non-commissioned officer and private then 
with the regiment. On the afternoon of Tuesday, March 17th, the 
men marched to the parade ground and formed in hollow square. 
Colonel Arnold was brought out and took his station with tlie field 
and staff and company officers in the centre. Sergeant Conger, bear- 
ing tlie testimonial, then stepped forward and said : 

" CoLOJfEL Arnold: It has fallen to my lot to have the honor of pre- 
senting tlie popular feeling of this regiment as expressed in this paper, 
unanimously signed by the non-commissioned officers and privates, 
wliich I am requested to read to you. We liave thought best to present 
it ill tliis form, that in after years, when this strife is over, you may look 
upon it wlieu amid your own family circle, and be cheered with the 
thought that your exertions and your jjatriotism were ai>i)reciated by 
those under your command. You liave ever been to us as a father, and 
we are loth to part with you. But in parting let us mutually put our 
trust in Him who is able to say to this angry storm of war, ' Peace, be 
still!' When our flag shall wave in peace from the Atlantic to the Pa- 
cific and from tlie lakes to tlie gulf, may we all be spared to return to 
our own beloved State, there to enjoy with our families and friends the 
fruits of our sacrifices and toils." 

Tlie memorial, duly signed, was then read and presented to the 
colonel. It was as follows : 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTILLEUY. H] 

" Camp Anthony, Fifth Regt., R. I. V. 

New Bekne, N. C, March 17, 1803 
Lieutenant- Colonel Arnoed : 

Sir: It is with feelings of the deepest regret that we learn that you 
are to be taken from us and transferred to another regiment. We can- 
not allow this opportunity to pass without unitedly expressing to you 
our best wishes for your future success and welfare. 

" While reviewing your past, we cannot recall the first unkind word or 
dishonorable act. 

" You have been loyal to the government and to your command. You 
have never asked us to go where you were not willing to lead, and have 
always shared with us the fatigues of the marcli and tlie dangers of 
battle. 

" lu parting allow us as Rhode Island soldiers to pledge with you anew 
our entire devotion to our country's cause, and through all the fortunes 
of war, in whatever positions we may be placed, our resolve to stand 
firm for the right until this unholy rebellion shall be crushed, aiul every 
aider, abettor or apologist of treason shall wither beneath the consum- 
ing scorn and contempt of a free and enlightened people." 

With an emotion whicli showed how fully lie appreciated the feel- 
ing wliicli dictated the preparation of this unsought and unsolicited 
evidence of the love and regard of the assembled men, he briefly 
thanked them for it in the following fitting reply : 

" CoMiiADES OF THE FiETii Rhode ISLAND : I caunot find words with 
whicli to express to you my heartfelt thanks for this toucliing and beau- 
tiful testimony of your confidence and affection. I shall prize it, not 
only for the kindly feeling manifested for me, but for the high and no- 
ble patriotism herein expressed, which does credit to you all. This is 
the proudest diiy of my life. I shall treasure this document as a souve- 
uir, to be kept as long as life shall last. 

" 1 am glad to know, that though a year and a (juarter of liardshij) and 
danger has passed, you are still animated by the same motives of patri- 
otism as when we left the shores of dear New England. Let us con- 
tinue to strive to do our whole duty until peace shall reign. 

" Soon after our arrival at New Berne I told you the time was not far 
distant when every man would be proud to own himself as one of the 
Fifth Rhode Island. That time came long ago. To-day you stand .sec- 
ond to none among your country's defenders. 

"I can bear willing testimony to the cheerful and soldier-like manner 
in which you have performed all duties and borne all fatigues, and to 
your undaunted courage on the battlefield. It is a source of sincere 
gratitude to me that I leave you in such good hands. I have every con- 



142 HISTORY OF THE 

fidence that your future will be alike honorable to country, to State, and 
to yourselves. 

"A few more hours and I shall bid you farewell, dear friends, and in 
parting I wish you health and strength to continue until the end of this 
rebellion, and a glad return to home and friends. And, my friends, if in 
the futui-e you sometimes think of him who loved this regiment, remem- 
ber, if he failed in the performance of his whole duty, it was a failure of 
the head and not of the heart." 

The statement is made here that the whole history of the late war 
cannot parallel this instance of an officer long in command of a regi- 
ment engaged in march, and siege, and battle, always enforcing strict 
discipline and exacting implicit obedience to orders, and yet doing it 
with such singleness of purpose and uprightness of conduct as to win 
such an expression of esteem from every enlisted man under his 
command. 

In the evening Captain Belger and the officers of Battery F, to- 
gether with the line and staff of the Fifth, assembled to formally pre- 
sent their testimonials to Colonel Arnold. The presentation was 
made by Captain Douglas in a neat and felicitous speech. It was a 
complete surprise to Colonel Arnold, and he was too much overcome 
to make more than a brief reply. Colonel Tew was then called out, 
and in an eloquent and feeling speech he stated the fact that wlien 
Colonel Arnold received his appointment as lieutenant-colonel he had 
asked the department at home to commission Major Tew as lieuten- 
ant-colonel, and make him major. This change was not made, but 
the major referred to the manliness and unselfishness which prompted 
the action, and then stepping forward and taking Colonel Arnold's 
hand, he said: "Colonel, as you go out you bear with you our 
prayers and our best wishes, and if in the vicissitudes of the cam- 
paign we meet not here, may we be present to answer to our names 
at the great roll-call in the day of the resurrection." 

Nor was this the end of the pleasant incidents of the evening. 
Colonel Tew had in his possession two swords, presented to him by 
the citizens of Newport. He took this occasion to present one of 
them to Captain Belger, saying, as both came from that city, he 
thou^-ht that he was carrying out the spirit of the wishes of the do- 
nors by committing it to the care of one who was so well able to wield 
it and in whose hands the interests of our State were always safe. 
Captain Belger replied that he would seek to so use the sword as not 



FIKTH HHODK ISLAND HEAVY AKTILI.KKV. 143 

to disgrace the gift, and tlie only thing he asked was tlie privilege of 
opening his battery on the ranks of treason while he was supported 
by such men as the Fifth Rhode Island. In this pleasant manner 
did the brave and respected Colonel Arnold take leave of his comrades 
in the Fifth Rhode Island, and join the Seventh Regiment under the 
command of Genei'al Burnside, at this time on the march for the 
department of the Ohio. 

The following deserved tribute to the worth of Lieutenant-Colonel 
Job Arnold is from a non-commissioned officer of the regiment, who 
says : 

" He was my ideal of an officer, soldier and gentleman. When our bat- 
talion came to Cami^ Anthony, our knowledge of battalion movements 
was very limited. Although only a captain of the line when he assumed 
command of the battalion, he, with the assistance of that able officer, 
Col. Thomas G. Stevenson, our brigade commander, brought our bat- 
talion to a commendable degree of efficiency in drill and discipline. We 
recall his presence on the drill ground when some difficult battalion 
movement was to be executed. How cool and self-possessed he seemed. 
He always gave the right command at the right time. I am informed 
by a member of the company of carbineers in the First Rhode Island 
Detached Militia that Colonel Arnold, who was then a private in the 
ranks, evinced the same determination to excel in the duties of a soldier 
which characterized him when assuming the responsibilities of a bat- 
talion commander. We well knew his fearlessness in the hour of battle. 
Nothing seemed to disturb the serenity of his countenance in the thick 
of danger. We recollect his kindness to the soldiers of his command. 
Often on the toilsome march have we seen him alight from his horse and 
place thereon some weary and foot-sore soldier, who was greatly relieved 
for the time being. No wonder, then, that the men of the Fifth Rhode 
Island loved Colonel Arnold, for he was worthy of their love, and it 
may justly be said of him : 

' None knew liini but to love him. 
Nor named him but to praise.' " 

On the 20th of March General Foster wrote to Governor Sprague, 
saying; " I have the honor to express my feeling of gratifa'ation at 
the promptitude with which you have appointed the officers of the 
Fifth Rhode Island Volunteers, in accordance with the reconiuienda- 
tions from this department. It gives me great pleasure to say to you 
that this action has produced a decided effect upon the regiment for 
the good of the service, and that the regiment is in a most excellent 
condition, and the men are in the best condition for active service." 



CHAPTER X. 



RELIEF OF LITTLE WASHINGTON. 

The Fifth Runs the Rebel Batteries and Caruies Relief to 
General Foster and the Garrison at Washington, N. C. 

DP^FEATED in their attempt to make a successful attack on 
New Berne, the enemy, still under the command of General 
D. H. Hill, determined to turn their attention to Washington, 
a town of considerable military importance on the Tar River near its 
junction with Pamlico River, about twenty-five miles north of New 
Berne, by land. Immediately after the rebels disappeared from in 
front of New Berne, General Foster, impressed with the belief that 
they- would attack some other point in our possession, set out upon a 
tour of inspection through his department, in order to see for himself 
how well other places were prepared for defence. The enemy appeared 
in force in front of Washington, Monday, March 30th. General Foster 
arrived there the same day from Plymouth. He found there a garrison 
composed of eight companies of the Forty-fourth Massachusetts, which 
had arrived from New Berne on the 10th ; eight companies of the 
Twenty-seventh Massachusetts, one company of the loyal First North 
Carolina Volunteers, one company of the Third New York Cavalry, 
and Battery C, Third New York Light Artillery, the whole amount- 
ing to 1,160 men. The gunboats Ecujle, Ceres, Louisiana, and 
Commodore Hull were lying in tlie river in front of the town. 

That evening our pickets were driven in, and the enemy appeared 
in force on all the roads leading to the town. Having placed his 
troops in position during the night. General Llill sent in a flag of 
truce the next morning witli a demand for the surrender of the town. 
It was addressed to the "■ colonel in command." General Foster was 
heard to say to the officer who reported the arrival of the flag with 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTH.EEKY. 



145 



General Hill's summons to surrender, " Go back and tell them if 
they want Washington, come and take it ! " This message revealed 
to the rebel general the fact that General Foster was present in com- 
mand, and undoubtedly led them to suppose that he had arrived with 
reinforcements, thus causing them to abandon the assault they had 




Lieut. Christopher W. Howland. 

contemplated. At once they commenced tiie erection of batteries for 
a regular siege of the place. So great was their activity that by the 
night of April 1st they had erected batteries around the north side of 
the town, and across the river on the south side, also batteries on 
both sides of the river below the town, and had removed the buoys 
marking the channel, thus completely blockading the little garrison 
from receiving supplies or reinforcements by land or water. 
10 



146 HISTORY OF THK 

Before reaching "Washington General Foster had ordered reinforce- 
ments to it. The transports bearing this force, under the command 
of Brigadier-General Prince, appeared in sight down the river. 
General Foster sent him an order to land his troops and march in, 
but tlie general reported tliat it was impracticable to do so, and he 
did not attempt it. The enemy's investing force numbered fifteen 
thousand to sixteen thousand men, a large portion of whom were on 
the south side of the river. With tiiis very brief statement of the 
situation in Washington, we will return to the Fifth Rhode Island. 

Very soon after Colonel Arnold left to join his new command 
Colonel Sisson returned to us. When the report of the threatened 
attack upon New Berne reached the North, all other considerations 
Avere put aside, and he left Providence at once to join us. Major 
Jameson also reported at the same time. Activity now reigned in 
New Berne. The air was filled with rumors of another attack on 
the town. The work of strengthening and completing the defences 
was vigorously carried on, and every negro — " contrabands of war " 
were they at that time — who was able to wield axe or shovel, was 
pressed into service. The utmost vigilance was exercised to prevent 
the approach of even the smallest raiding party of rebel cavalry 
without ample warning. Reconnoisances were pushed in every di- 
x'ection. " Colonel Sisson went out beyond Deep Gully, on a 
reconnoisance in force, Thursday, April 2d. We found no rebels. 
The quaker gun on which the rebels made a famous charge tlie other 
day is again in position." The troops forming the garrison at New 
Berne were assigned tlieir respective stations in the forts and breast- 
works, and drilled to take them without confusion and in the least 
possible time. So proficient did they become, that in eiglit minutes 
from the first alarm. every man was in his place, and the guns in the 
forts and batteries were loaded, primed, and put in battery ready to 
fire. 

All this time the dull boom of guns coming over the swamps and 
pine forests stretching away to the northward, told to the anxious 
hearts in New Berne of the danger of their beloved general and the 
little garrison composed of their comrades. PCach morning they 
listened for the sound with renewed anxiety, for it told them also that 
the brave men in Washington still held out. On the 6th the firins: 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 147 

could not be heard for some time, and every heart sank with fear 
that the end had come to the besieged baud, that Washington had 
been captured. Towards night, when the low rumble came down 
again, it was hailed with a great feeling of relief, almost of joy for 
the story it told of the unfaltering courage and steadfastness of the 
men environed by a force of more than ten to one. 

Wednesday, 8th. At one o'clock this morning we formed in line 
in light marching order, and just as we were moving off tlie order 
was countermanded, and we remained behind, Tlie Fiftli Rhode 
Island and the Forty-fifth Massachusetts were left to guard the town. 
It was late in the day when we heard that General Spinola, witli six- 
teen regiments of infantry and Belger's, Ransom's, Riggs's, How- 
ell's, and Ashby's batteries had marched from the north bank of the 
Neuse to go to the relief of Washington. About noon on the 9th 
the head of the column came upon the enemy in force, in a strong 
natural position on Blount's Creek. He was posted on a hill on tlie 
further side, his flanks protected by a swamp, and his position could 
only be approached over a mill-dam completely enfiladed by his 
guns. Belger's battery was ordered to open on the enemy, and met 
with a severe return from both artillery and musketry. Captain 
Belger Avas severel}' wounded in the thigh and his horse was killed. 

"I would not care a about being wounded myself, if they 

hadn't killed my horse," was the energetic remark of this genuine 
lover of his noble animal, as he was carried to the rear. After 
using up considerable artillery ammunition. General Spinola decided 
that the enemy's position was too strong to attack with any hope of 
success, and he accordingly put his column in motion towards New 
Berne He made a rapid march until late in the night to reach 
Street's Ferry, on the Neuse, and prevent a flank attack on his col- 
umn from the direction of Kinston. The next day he brought his 
command to New Berne. 

While the troops were absent on this expedition Colonel Sisson 
was in immediate command of the defences of New Berne, and was 
very active in providing against any attempt the enemy might make 
to profit by the almost defenceless condition of the town. As soon 
as General Spinola returned. General Palmer, who was in conunand 
of the department during General Foster's absence, determined to at- 



148 HISTORY OF THK 

tempt to send reinforcements and supplies to Washington by the way 
of the river. 

On the 10th the Fifth Rhode Island and a number of other regi- 
ments received orders for tliis expedition. Our regiment, with the 
exception of Company F, Lieut. C. F. Gladding, which was left in 
Fort Rowan, embarked about one p. M. on the transport steamer 
Escort. General Pahner had determined to assume command, and 
with his staff and Lieut. -Col. Southard Hoffman, assistant adjutant- 
general to General Foster, also embarked at that time. ''A num- 
ber of ladies on the wharf took such tender and tearful leave of them 
that we all felt that something important was at stake." After we 
were fairly off, Colonel Sisson called the officers together and told 
them that General Foster was besieged in Washington, and was 
short of provisions, ammunition and foi-age. It was all important 
that reinforcements and supplies should go to him. In the morning 
Colonel Hoffman had sent for him and said : "I will not order or ask 
you to go, but wish to lay the case before you." Colonel Sisson at 
once offered himself and command to go and open the way to Gen- 
eral Foster. With a noble unanimity the officers supported him. 

The next morning, Saturday, the 11th, the transports anchored off 
Maul's Point, Pamlico River, some ten miles below Washington. 
Five gunboats and a number of vessels laden with supplies were ly- 
ing here. General Palmer left us here to become the guest of Cap- 
tain Behm, of the Southjield^ the senior officer of the squadron. 

'J'he blockade which prevented the approach to Washington con- 
sisted first of a triple row of piles, firmly driven into the river bot- 
tom and then cut off under water, and a number of liulks sunk along 
this line. This work had been done by the rebels early in the war. 
When our troops took Washington the obstructions in the channel 
had been removed for a space of about one hundred feet wide, and 
the passage buoyed. Second, the enemy had reoccupied the aban- 
doned batteries on Hill's Point, on the south bank, and, after greatly 
strengthening them, had armed them with heavy rifled guns. These 
batteries w-ere close to the passage through the rows of piles, and 
completely commanded it. Third, Swan's Point batteries were fur- 
ther up, and on the north bank of the river, and the guns bore on the 
channel just above Hill's Point. Fourth, Rodman's Point batteries, 



FIFTH KHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTILLKliV. 149 

armed with Whitwortli guns, wore on tlie south bank of tlie river, 
two miles below Washington. At this point tiie channel approached 
very close to the shore, and the enemy's guns had complete command 
of it. In addition to all of these obstructions and batteries, the 
rebels liad removed all of the buoys marking tlie narrow and crooked 
channel, and had lined the banks in every place where the channel 
approached them with infantry. 

Up to this time it seemed to be the intention at headqnarters to run 
the batteries with all of the force present. Saturday was passed on 
the Escort in taking aboard and stowing ammnnition and supplies for 
the beleaguered garrison, and in placing bales of hay so as to protect 
the pilot-house, machinery and boilers. Saturday night we expected 
to run by, but the officers of the gunboats and others in authority 
thought it best not to run the risk in the night. Sunday morning, in 
accordance with orders from General Palmer, the Escort got under 
way and s.lowly approached the opening in the blockade in front of 
the Hill's Point batteries. A fog had arisen about daybreak, and 
soon became so dense as to prevent further progress, and we were 
soon oi'dered to return to our anchorage. Then the gunboats opened 
and showered their shell upon the batteries, as they had been doing 
daily for nearly two weeks, with the usual daily result of producing 
no apparent efiect. 

At sundown very impressive religious services were held on the 
Escort by our chaplain, assisted by Chaplain Hall, of the Forty- 
fourth Massschusetts, who had been waiting here for some days to 
join his regiment in Washington. At the close Colonel Sisson called 
for tifty volunteers to go on a reconuoisance in the morning, and it 
seemed as if every man in the regiment wanted to go. 

All this time tiie sound of the guns around Washington told all on 
the fleet that the brave little band still held out. Almost every night 
dispatches, brought in small boats that drifted down with the current, 
came from General Foster to General Palmer, urging him to action. 

Monday morning, the 13th, the officers and men left the Escort on 
the projected reconuoisance. It was to ascertain the practicability 
of moving aland force in the rear of the batteries on the south bank 
of the river, across Blount's Creek to Washington. Captain Douglas 
and Lieut. Dutee Johnson, Jr., were in command of the fifty men who 



150 HISTORY OF THE 

had been selected for the task. They had a negro for a guide, who 
proved faithful and intelligent. They reached Blount's Creek and 
found the crossing defended by three batteries and about 3,000 men. 
Captain Douglas and Sergeant-Major Hatlinger displayed great 
bravery and coolness in advancing almost under the enemy's guns and 
preparing an accurate sketch of their works. With the return of 
Captain Douglas vanished the last hope of reaching Washington by 
land with any force available at this time, and valuable time had again 
been wasted to no good end. 

All that both officers and men of the Fifth Rhode Island now 
wanted was the mere permission to make the attempt to reach Wash- 
ington. In view of this feeling. Colonel Sisson called all of the offi- 
cers and men of the regiment together. He briefly stated the 
situation of their general and comrades in Washington and their 
urgent need of succor, and the difficulties and dangers attending the 
attempt to run the batteries, as well as the opinions of the officers in 
command of the land and iiaval forces as he understood thein. He 
then told them that the question should be left with them to decide 
Avhether the attempt to run the batteries should be made or not. 
When the ayes were called for, one mighty shout of "aye!" rent 
the air. Then the vote of those opposed was called for, and just one 
man replied with a loud " no ! " He said afterward that he " didn't 
want the d d thing to be too unanimous." Backed by the unani- 
mous voice of every man of whatever rank in his regiment, Colonel 
Sisson took immediate steps to make the opinion and resolution of his 
regiment formally known. Accordingly he dispatclied Lieutenant- 
Colonel Tew and Major Jameson to General Palmer. Major Jame- 
son was a man of fluent speech, and he was made spokesman of this 
committee, if such a term may be used in this connection. The 
guarded official reports do not voice the fiery request then made that 
their regiment he permitted to attempt the relief of their general and 
his comrades, who were still holding out so manfully, and knowing 
that men and supplies were now ready to come to their relief. Right 
here it is but justice to the naval officers in command to say they had 
spared neither their boats nor men in attacking the batteries. All of 
them seemed in sorry plight, and bore ample evidence of the skill of 
the rebel gunners and the great range of their guns. Some of the 



riFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTILLEUY. 151 

boats seemed riddled from stem to stern. The greatest danger of all, 
however, was that the vessel attempting to run the batteries would 
run aground in the narrow, crooked and buoyless channel, and be- 
come a helpless target for the enemy's gunners, or the easy prey of 
the rebel infantry, which lined the river banks. It was under these 
circumstances that our officers sought the presence of General Palmer. 
In his modest report Colonel Sisson says : 

"In consideration of the previous attempts to reach Washington, and 
of the situation of our noble commander and the brave men fiom our 
sister State who composed the garrison, I considered it my duty to offer 
the services of my command to attempt the passage of the blockade. 
Accordingly I dispatclied Major .Jameson to General Palmer, who was 
on board the Southfield, to volunteer ourselves for such an expedition. He 
reported that General Palmer did not feel warranted in ordering us upon 
an enterprise of this nature, as it was impossible for him to accompany 
us, and as the attempt of Sunday morning assured him of the extreme 
peril with which it would be attended. But he would allow me to make 
the trial, if in my judgment it were practicable, and offered me the as- 
sistance of the gunboats if I determined to go. After further delibera- 
tion and consultation with my lieutenant-colonel and major, I decided 
that the object of the expedition was of sufficient importance to demand 
the risk I jiroposed to assume." 

It was decided to make the attempt that evening, Monday, April 
13th. Among the stores taken on board were twenty tons of ammu- 
nition. All of it could not be stowed below, so a large quantity was 
placed on the forward deck. In all cases of an undei-taking of this 
desperate nature in war, it is the custom to call for volunteers or at- 
tempt it with a picked force drawn fiV)m the whole command, in oider 
that should it meet with disaster tlie loss will not fall on any one or- 
ganization. But to this Rhode Island colonel and his Rhode Island 
men it did not seem to occur that they were undertaking any won- 
derful thing. Tlie only thought in their minds was that they were 
to carry food and ammunition and the succor of tlieir own brave 
hearts and willing hands to their general and comrades who were in 
great peril. To them, then, it was a matter-of-course affair. Look- 
ing at it now, when more than a quarter of a century has passed, the 
coolness and bravery with which it was undertaken, it was lieroic in 
the highest degree. A shot — a spark in those tons of ammunition — 
some of it exposed on deck, and the boat and the Fifth Rliode Island 



152 HISTORY OF THE 

Regiment would have ceased to exist. To run aground meant for 
these men a worse fate — Audersonville and Salisbury. And every 
man in the regiment knew this and accepted the issue. There was 
no calling for volunteers, for the whole regiment had volunteered. 
There Avas no selection of picked men for this forlorn hope. The 
whole regiment formed the forlorn hope. Not even the non-combat- 
ants were sent away. Surgeons, chaplain, quartermaster, hospital 
steward and commissary sergeant would not be left behind, though 
they could be of no earthly use until after the enterprise was suc- 
cessfully accomplished. Not only this, but a non-combatant passenger 
was taken aboard. The cliaplain of the Forty-fourth Massachusetts, 
with a courage worthy of his high calling, begged for permission to 
go, in order that he might the sooner join his regiment in Wash- 
ington. Lieut. W. H. King of the First North Carolina (Union) 
Volunteers also accompauied us. He had been stationed at Rodman's 
Point, and when the enemy occupied that place he and his men went 
on board a flat-boat and dropped down the stream to the gunboats, 
being unable to cross to the town. 

Looked at from the standpoint of the present time the detail of the 
preparations is intensely interesting. A twelve-pounder gun was 
placed on the forward deck, to be used in case the boat should run 
aground and be attacked by the rebel infantry on shore. A company 
of men to act as sharpshooters was detailed to remain on deck and 
assist in repelling any shore attack. These men were under the 
command of Capt. I. M. Potter, assisted by the officer of the day, 
Capt. H. B. Landers, and tlie officer of the guard, Lieut. Thomas 
Allen. Lieutenant-Colonel Tew, and Major Jameson were also to 
remain on deck with Colonel Sisson. A final arrangement of the 
bales of hay to protect the pilot-house and machinery was made, and 
then every man except those detailed to stay on deck, was peremp- 
torily ordered below, so as to be as safe as possible, to the great dis- 
gust of our chaplain especially, wlio wanted to be up where he could 
see how it was all done. The pilot was the most important single 
factor in this problem, for success depended on his skill and coolness 
under fire. In this case it seems that a protecting Providence had 
sent the right man to the right place. A North Carolinian, but a 
loyal man, Mr. Petherick had long been in the Union service as a 



FIFTH RHOI>E ISLAND HEAVY AKTII.LEKV. 153 

pilot, and, having received his discliarge, he was on his way lo his 
wife and cliildren in New Berne, whom he had not seen for a long 
time, Avhen he was pressed into this service. " Oh, how he begged 
not to go," said one of the men who lieard him. " If tiie boat runs 
aground and is lost, they will blame me for it, and say that I did it 
on purpose." At last he consented, and to his remarkable and un- 
recorded bravery is due the fact that there is any subsequent history 
of the Fifth Rhode Island Regiment to chronicle. 

The following extract, taken from a paper read before tlie Soldiers' 
and Sailors' Historical Society of Rhode Island, by Capt. William 
W. Douglas, is worthy of recording at this point : 

" In order to appreciate the risk we were to run, you may imagine 
yourselves starting from Newport on the Bay Queen on a trip to Provi- 
dence. Place upon Nayatt Point a battery of lieavy guns, and on the 
sliore at Conimicut Point another, both well manned by experienced ar- 
tillerists. Sujjpose the channel to run within point-blank range of the 
western shore, and to be obstructed by a triple line of piles driven 
closely together; then place a still more formidable battery, containing 
at least one gun capable of throwing a shell three miles with accuracy, 
at Field's Point, and calculate the chances of getting by all this and an- 
choring safely at the Continental Steamboat Company's wharf. Then 
place on the boat fifteen tons of ammunition, and consider that if a sliell 
were to explode so as to fire it there would be no boat left, and you 
would have the last chance left you of swimming ashore into tlie hands 
of the enemy, who, if they did not shoot you in the water would march 
you to a rebel prison. Add to this the fact that no one on board knew 
the channel except the pilot, and lie had to grope for it without a beacon 
light, in intense darkness, and to have got upon the flats meant sure cap- 
ture at daybreak. *We had not either that opportunity to fire back which 
occupies a man's whole attention to the exclusion of thoughts of his per- 
sonal danger in the excitement of a battle. We had simply to box our- 
selves up and constitute ourselves a floating target." 

The plan for running the batteries was simple enough. The gun- 
boats were to steam slowly into position and have their guns ready 
for action. The Escort was to follow, and, as soon as the gunboats 
were in readiness, the signal was to be given and she was to steam 
slowly and silently to the opening in the obstructions. As soon as 
she was discovered and fired upon the gunboats were to reply with 
every gun that they could bring to bear upon the enemy's battery, in 
order to divert as much of the rebel fire as possible and lead them to 



154 HISTORY OF THE 

think that a, number of vessels were attempting to pass the batteries. 
The buoys were gone, a fog lay on the water, and the pilot would 
have to depend on the lead for his bearings. Colonel Sisson took 
his station at the bow between the leadsman and pilot, and soon the 
signal came over the waters thi'ough the gloom, and about 8.30 the 
Escort started on her perilous mission. Not a light was to be seen 
on board. And here occurred another incident of the cool courage 
that marked the progress of this remarkable feat in the annals of 
war. A number of the men who were to remain on deck lay 
down on the exposed pile of ammunition, in order to cover it 
with their bodies from any chance shell or spark of fire from some 
fuse that might ignite it. " I thouglit I was just as safe there as 
anywhere, and I iniglit keep the stuff from being exploded," said one 
of these men when talking of it afterwards. 

Lieut. Dutee Johnson, .Jr., in a paper entitled Personal Recollec- 
tions of Service in the Fifth Rhode Island Volunteers, says : 

" The lower after cabin in which the officers were ordered to remain 
contained three tiers of berths; the middle l)ertli being nearly on the 
water line. Most of the ofificers took the beds from the berths and made 
couches on the cabin floor. Two of them being very tired fell asleep, 
and knew nothing of the passa<;e of the rebel batteries until they awoke 
from their slumbers when the steamer arrived at the wliarf at Little 
Washington. Their astonishment and disgust was great when they dis- 
covered that they had slept all through those exciting scenes. The other 
officers who were awake occupied themselves in alternately observing 
tlie positions of the batteries on shore through two bulls' eye lights in 
the stern of the steamer. They could see the flash of every gun and the 
report was distinctly heard, but sounded very flat and queer; the listener 
being about on a level of the water. 

"In the forward cabin or hold of the steamer the men of the regiment 
were placed under the charge of an officer or two. In this cabin had 
been stored all the ammunition and commissary stores, and the fact of 
so much powder being stored made it doubly dangerous in case of ac- 
cident." 

In this way this slightly constructed passenger steamer, designed 
to carry excursions in Boston harbor, loaded with men and muni- 
tions to within one foot of the depth of water in the river channel, 
moved slowly toward the opening through the rows of piles, right 
under the guns of a battery that for two weeks had kept a fleet at 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 



155 



bay. Almost noiselessly and quite unnoticed, under tlie skillful di- 
rection of the pilot, slie approached and entered the narrow pas.sa"-e 
way, crushed on the piles on one side with a momentum that, slow as 
her speed was, shook her from deck to keel, rocked, hung for a mo- 
ment, slowly fell off, and then, under full head of steam, darted up 
the channel. Instantly signals flashed in the batteries on shore, the 
rebels sprang to their quarters, and the heavens fairly glowed with 
the lightning of their guns, and the air was tilled with the roar and 
hiss of flying and exploding shells. The instant they opeued on the 




The Steamer " Escort." 

Escort the gunboats opeued on them with an accuracy of range ac- 
quired by long practice. Through this turuioil and din of strife the 
silent Escort sped away up the river. Colonel Sisson standing beside 
the cool and clear-headed pilot, calling out in a firm voice the direc- 
tion to the man at the wheel. Siiell followed them, but in their ex- 
citement the rebel gunners seemed to pay more attention to rapiil 
firing than accuracy of aim, and not one shot struck the Escort. 
Then the guns of Swan's Point battery opened with no better suc- 
cess. Two batteries were passed, but the worst was yet to come. 
The alarm had spread, and the rebel infantry on the shore poured 
volleys of musketry on the passing boat. Twice was the pilot com- 



156 HISTORY OF THE 

pelled to bring her to a full stop before he could make sure of his di- 
rection, and he derived not a little aid from the sharpshooters on the 
river bank, for the flashes of their rifles indicated the line of the 
shore, which he could not see. Twice the boat grounded, the grating 
of the keel being felt, not heard, in the din ; and each time, after 
hanging motionless on the muddy bottom for a few moments, she 
would slowly forge ahead into deeper w^ater. During this time but 
for the bulwarks made of the bales of hay, the decks of the boat 
would have been swept of every living being. " I went up and 
looked towards Washington," wrote our chaplain, " and the batteries 
about the town saw that we were at something, and at this moment 
opened a most terrific fire on the town. You have seen heat light- 
ning in summer time. So, in a half circle about that distant town 
did the flash of gun and shell leap and gleam. I went back to my 
berth. A soul suspended on a thread over a fathomless void might 
feel as we felt amid those shells whistling past us, any one of which 
might ignite our cargo and send ship and souls to destruction." 

By the time the boat neared the Rodman Point batteries the enemy 
were fully aware of what was being attempted, and were all ready 
for the approaching boat. At this point the channel closely approaches 
the shore, and the firing from the banks was far more severe than at 
any point below, while their guns opened at a range of about four 
hundred yards. Again the scene of Hill's Point was repeated with 
even more exciting surroundings. Amid the roar of guns firing on 
town and boat, and the rattle of rifles and rush of shot through the 
air, the firm, clear voice of the colonel repeating the pilot's com- 
mands was the only sound that could be heard on tiie dark and silent 
boat that had now with the most wonderful providence passed the 
last battery, and was speeding away unliarmed toward the town. 
There all were on the alert, for they felt that some desperate effort 
was being made to bring the long looked for relief. Another mile 
at full speed, followed by near half a hundred shells, and the wharf 
was reached at 12.15 A. M., and this large, unarmed and deep laden 
steamer had accomplished what armed vessels, built and manned for 
the purpose, had failed to do. 

" You can guess," wrote the chaplain of the Forty-fourth Massa- 
chusetts, our one passenger, " what cheers arose, and with what a 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTILLKKY. 1;")? 

will, from tlie hundreds tliat had been repressing their emotions 
through tliese four long hours in tlie boat, and from the imprisoned 
soldiers on the wharves, who had seen in this their first hope of res- 
cue. Cheers for the Forty-fourtli Massachusetts from the boat, and 
clieers hearty and long for the Fiftli Rhode Island from the shore, 
and so a new bond of union was struck between these brother reo-i- 

o 

ments." 

The men began to debark at once. When a company was in line 
and ready to march ashore tlie officer in charge would give in his 
highest tones the loud command, "Attention, battalion ! " and. for 
the benefit of the I'ebel pickets on the south side of the river, con- 
tinue to give the necessary orders for marching a regiment ashore as 
his company left the boat. This was repeated until the last of the 
men had come ashore, and also when they were marched away to 
the places they were to occupy for the night. 

We are again indebted to Lieutenant Johnson for the followin"- 
incident : 

" The steamer arrived at the wharf in Wasliington about one A. m. The 
same morning at daylight found us on shore, and as many as could com- 
fortably do so were occupying a little building just up from the wharf. 
It had a small stage inside, which no doubt had formerly been used as a 
place where entertainments were held. Our men were enjoying them- 
selves here when the enemy from some point on the opposite shore 
opened fire, and the building liaving been made a target for their guns, 
our men vacated the building, feeling safer in the open streets. 

" My attention was attracted about the time we left the 'theatre' as 
one of the men called it, to the actions of a little boy, some eight or ten 
years of age. He stood hugging a building closely, and, with his head pro- 
truding arouud the corner, and, with an ear open for the sound of tlie ex- 
pectant shell, he keenly observed the actions of our men. Hearing no 
sound of the dread missiles of death, he finally came over and mingled 
with the men. But, though seemingly much occupied in what wc were 
doing, it could be readily seen that his young ears were well trained in 
determining the sounds of danger. Aye! the little ones in Washington 
had for the past fifteen days shared with the troops the dangers of a 
besieged town." 

The next morning the several companies were assigned positions in 
the lines of defence, and when the enemy commenced their usual fire 
from their batteries the men again enjoyed the excitement of dodging 
rebel shell. Says one of the comrades of the battalion, " We had no 



158 HISTORY OF THE 

such experience since Fort Macon, but quickly became accustomed to 
it again, and soon f .It safe enough to be comfortable." " Tuesday, 
the 14th, the fog cleared early," says the historian of the Forty- 
fourth Massachusetts. " We were all feeling comfortable now that 
the charm was broken, and we were both physically and morally 
reinforced by the arrival of our old comrades of the Fifth Rhode 
Island." 

The position assigned the regiment in the defences was on the right 
of the line near the river and below the town. It had been determined 
that the Escort should run the batteries, down, during Tuesday night, 
but the fog vvas so dense that she ran aground nearly a mile below the 
town, and was compelled to wait until morning to get off. General 
Foster had decided to go down in her, organize a force, and march 
to the relief of the town. Before going he issued a general order 
expressing his admiration for the courage and determination displayed 
by the garrison during the siege, and informing them that he knew 
they would hold out until lie could return with a force sufficient to 
relieve them. The Escort had remained hard aground, waiting un- 
til the fog should lift in the morning. AVhen at last it slowly rose 
she was within easy range of the Rodman Point battery, which at 
once opened on her. Slowly backing out of her unsought berth in 
North Carolina river mud she steamed on her mission, and succeeded 
in getting through. The brave pilot who had brought her up so suc- 
cessfully was killed soou afcer passing the Rodman Point batteries. 
He raised his head above the bales of hay placed around the pilot- 
house, and was shot dead by a rifleman on the river bank. Thus fell 
this hero, without even the privilege of seeing his loved ones, for 
whom he cherisiied a most touching affection. General Palmer had 
promised him that if he would try to take the Escort up and should 
lose his life, he would pay his family $2,000. This sum was after- 
ward paid to them in New Berne. The Escort was struck with 
ei'J'hteen shot and shell, and her upper works were riddled with bul- 
lets. General Foster had gone aboard the night before to obtain 
some much needed rest. When nearing the batteries he was per- 
suaded to go below. Within two minutes after he left, a shell passed 
through the stateroom, destroying in its passage the bedding of the 
berth he had occupied. 



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FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 159 

Their success in running the batteries and reaching Washington 
but stiniuhited the spirit of enterprise in our men. On the niglit of 
the 15th some men of Company C, Captain Douglas's company, de- 
termined to attempt an operation on their own account. It was no 
less than the capture of the Hodman Point battery. Procuring an 
old scow they set off soon after midnight and silently paddled across 
the river and then drifted down to the battery. Here they slowly 
worked their way in shore as far as the boat would go, and waited 
until just as dawn began to appear, when they silently left the boat, 
Avaded ashore, and, dashing up the bank, they sprang over the breast- 
works into the battery — only to find them silent and deserted. See- 
ing a number of the enemy in the edge of a wood near by, they 
secured a notice which had been fastened to a stake stuck up in the 
middle of the fort, and returned to the other side of the river. By 
this time it was known that the enemy had abandoned their works 
on the north side of the tow-n. This exploit of Compan}^ C had no 
other result than to show the good will of the men to capture the bat- 
tery had the rebels remained in it. The notice posted up is still in 
existence. It said : 

YANKEES. 

We know not what brave regiments passed our batteries on the night 
of the 13tli inst., but whoever you are, whilst we admire your pluck and 
courage, we despise your cause. 

Co. "K," Thirty-second Regt. X. C Vols. 

April 15th, ls63. 

AYhen the enemy had put their trains in motion after they had de- 
termined to abandon the siege, the roads proved to be in such an im- 
passable condition that they were in great fear that they might lose 
them. So they at once strengthened their rear guard. A small force 
returned and occupied the works on Rodman's Point. In the mean- 
time the officers on the gunboats saw that the guns were withdrawn, 
and they determined to occupy the works. Accordingly tlie Com- 
modore Hull, Ceres and Eagle shelled the battery for some time 
before attempting to land any men. At last Acting Tliird Assistant 
Engineer Thomas Mallahan, of Providence, R. I., with the small 
boat's crew pulled ashore to hoist our colors over the battery. On 
approaching land they were fired upon and Mallaiuiu was killed. 



160 HISTORY OF THE 

The gunboats came back, and at two p. m. ran down again and shelled 
the battery for some time. Again a call was made on the Fifth, and 
in half an hour Lieutenant-Colonel Tew, with Companies D, E, H, 
G and I, together with one gun of a New York battery, under the 
command of Lieutenant Mower, were detailed and on their way to 
take possession of the much disputed Rodman's Point. In view of 
the experience of the gunboats in the morning, Colonel Tew made 
preparations to meet a considerable force, and effected a landing some 
distance below the fort. Colonel Sisson's official report says : 

" Captain Robinson's company (G) was put in advance, and, proceeding 
along the road, came in sight of a company of the enemy about tliree- 
quarters of a mile from the landing. Deploying his company, lie ad- 
vanced cautiously and immediately attacked them. After a sharp 
skirmish, in which he displayed great coolness and bravery, he dislodged 
them, killing one man and taking three prisoners — a captain, lieutenant 
and a drum-major. Having set fire to the building in which the enemy 
had quartered, Captain Kobinson fell back about one-fourth of a mile, 
and, under the direction of Lieutenant-Coionel Tew, posted his pickets 
so as to command every approach to his position. The enemy's pickets 
were posted about two hundred yards from ours, and exchanged shots 
with them repeatedly during the night. The whole detachment formed 
promptly in line at each alarm, but no other attack was made, and in the 
morning our scouts could not discover the enemy within five miles of the 
Point." 

Chaplain White, in a letter to the Providence Journal^ says : 

" When we entered the batteries at Rodman's Point our troops found 
a note reading thus : 

' YANKEES ! ! I 

' We leave you not because we cannot take Washington, but the fact is, 
it is not worth taking, and, besides, the climate is not agreeable. A man 
must be amphibious to inhabit it. We leave you a few bursted guns, 
some stray solid shot, and a man and brother, rescued from the waves to 
which some fray among his equals consigned him. But this tribute we 
pay you, you have acted with much gallantry during this brief siege. 
We salute the pilot of the Escort. 

Co. K, 32d N. C. Vols.' 

" This tribute to the pilot must have been because of his daring in 
running the boat up, and not on account of his death, as they could not 
have known that." 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 161 

The detachment under Colonel Tew remained at Rodman's Point, 
and, on the 18th, Colonel Sisson was ordered to repair to that place 
with the other companies of the regiment, with the exception of 
Company C, Captain Douglas, who was stationed at Grade's house, 
one mile south of Washington, on the New Berne road. During 
the night of the 18th the rebel breastworks were leveled and a new 
line defending the batter}^ on the land side was erected. The battery- 
was then christened Fort Sisson. 

Early Sunday, the 19th, guns were heard about eight miles to the 
south, and about noon the advance of General Foster's column, 
under command of General Naglee with two detachments of cavalry, 
marching overland from New Berne, reached Washington. The 
column from New Berne found that the' enemy were all well on their 
Avay toward Kinston. 

Immediately upon his arrival General Foster issued the following 
order to the Fifth Rhode Island : 

Headquarters, Washington, N. C., 
April 19, 1863. 

Colonel Henry T. Sisson, ComcVg Fifth RegH R. I. Vols. : 

Sir: By direction of Major-General Foster, I have to express his re- 
gret that in the hurry of his departure from Washington he was unable 
to formally acknowledge the valuable aid you brought to Washington, 
N. C, during its siege. 

The many things he had to attend to allowed him only time to say 
" good bye " to the old garrison and not to welcome the new. 

He directs me to thank you, and the brave othcers and men under you, 
for the energy, perseverance and courage displayed in running the gaunt- 
let of the enemy's batteries in a large and scantily protected steamer,' 
and bringing to your comrades in Washington the much needed supplies 
of men, ammunition and commissary stores. 

The doing of what you did reflects equal honor on yourself, your offi- 
cers, your men, and the State from which you are proud to come. 

I have the honor to be, with great respect, your obedient servant. 

Southard Hoffman, Assistant Adjutant-General. 

Nothing occurred to disturb the quiet of daily routiiic until the 

22d, when Colonel Sisson was ordered to leave two companies at 

Rodman's Point, and embark the rest of the regiment on the Thomas 

Colijer for New Berne. This was done about ten o'clock the same 

11 



162 HISTORY OF THE 

morning, and we reached our destination the same night. Compa- 
nies H and I, under the command of Capt. Benjamin L. Hall, 
remained at Rodman's Point, The other gun of Lieutenant Mor- 
ris's section had been brought over. Captain Hall was in command 
of the post, and Lieutenant Pierce acted as adjutant. They re- 
mained here some days, but, beyond some scouting, nothing of inter- 
est occurred, and Captain Hall soon rejoined us at Camp Anthony. 

Camp and garrison duties were now resumed, and the men had 
leisure to recall the many incidents of their late very exciting and 
eventful expedition. Here the following very pleasing general order 
was published : 

Headquauters Eighteenth Army Corps, 

New Berne, April 24, 1863. 
General Order, No. 633. 

The garrison of Washington, N. C, composed of the Twenty-seventh 
Massachusetts Regiment, the Forty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment, 
Fifth Rhode Island Regiment, First North Carolina Volunteers, Com- 
pany I, Third New York Cavalry, Battery G, Third New York Artillery, 
have well merited, by their steadiness, courage and endurance the honor 
of inscribing, and they are so ordered to inscribe on their banners and 
guidons, Washington, April, 1863. 

Per order Major-General J. G. FOSTER. 

Southard Hoffman, A. A. G. 

Scarcely had the interest of both officers and men in the foregoing 
order died away, when a new and unexpected honor came from quite 
another source. This testimonial, so gratifying in its nature, shall 
speak for itself : 

Camp Stevenson, 
Headquarters Forty-Fourth Reg't M. Y. M., 
New Berne, April 25, 1863. 

Col. Henry T. Sisson, Commandimj Fifth Regt. R. I. Voli. : 

Colonel : At a meeting of the field, staff and line officers, held at 
Washington, N. C, ou Tuesday evening, April 21st, Colonel F. L. Lee 
presiding, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted: 

Whereas, During the late siege of Washington, N. C, when the town 
had been bombarded and all its communications cut off for fifteen days, 
after several ineffectual attempts had been made to relieve the garrison, 
and the enterprise had been pronounced impracticable. Colonel Sisson 
volunteered the services of his regiment, and succeeded, against every 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 163 

obstacle and discouragement, in running the blockade witii the steamer 
Escort, thus bringing to the besieged forces the much needed reinforce- 
ments, ammunition and supplies, therefore 

Eesolved, That in this achievement Colonel Sisson, with his brave regi- 
ment, has performed one of the most heroic acts of the war ; and that 
this act, by so disheartening the enemy that in two days he was led to re- 
tire, was the immediate cause of the raising of the siege. 

Sesolved, That the members of the Forty-fourth Regiment Massachu- 
setts Volunteer Militia feel that thanks are particularly due from them 
to their comrades-in-arms, who so generously volunteered their services 
and met such great risks in carrying succor to a brother regiment. 

Besolved, That, as an expression of their gratitude and admiration, if 
it meet the wishes of the Fifth Rhode Island Regiment, a set of colors 
be presented to them, bearing a device commemorative of their act of 
gallantry. 

Francis L. Lee, 

Colonel ConuVg Forty-fourth Berft. Mass. V. M. 

The following was Colonel Sisson's reply : 

Camp Anthony, New Berne, 

April 28, 1803. 
Colonel : I take great pleasure in acknowledging to you and the oflS- 
cers of your command my sense of the high honor which you have done 
us in the very complimentary resolutions which I have just received. 

Be assured, colonel, they are the more acceptable as coming from a 
body of men whose character and good opinion we respect so highly as 
the regiment you have the honor to command. Your generous action 
will tend not only to cement more closely our two brother regiments, 
but also the sister States from which we came, already closely united by 
a common history, and by struggles and dangers in defence of our 
country. 

May we be more closely knit together in peace and union under the 
flag which both Massachusetts and Rhode Island have done so much to 
uphold. 

Accept, sir, the thanks of the Fifth Rhode Island for your kind senti- 
ments, and believe me. 

With respect, very truly yours, 

H. T. Sisson, 
Colonel Commanding Fifth Rhode Island Volunteers. 

It is almost needless to record here that no one of tlie many con- 
gratulations received by our regiment for its work in succoring their 
besieged comrades in Washington was so gratifying as this one from 



164 HISTORY OF THE 

the Forty-fourth Massachusetts in all respects. Capt. James Moran 
and Acljt. J. M. Wheaton joined the regiment on its return from 
Washington. They had been home on the first leave of absence 
either had received since joining the regiment. Their pride in the 
gallant action of the regiment in carrying relief into Washington 
was only equaled by their regret that the fortunes of the service had 
prevented them from sharing in it. The tidings of the affair of run- 
ning the blockade and batteries met them on their return at Hatteras 
Inlet. On their way to. New Berne they received many felicitations 
on account of this act of the regiment. General Foster openly and 
enthusiastically expressed his commendation of the courage and 
daring shown in succoring him at the moment of his extreme peril, 
and ever after showed himself the firm friend of the regiment. It 
remained for the legislature of our State to remind us that in doing 
our duty in the cause of our country our deeds were appreciated by 
the representatives of our neighbors and friends at home, as may be 
seen by the following resolution of our General Assembly : 

State of Rhode Island, 

In General Assembly, 

May Session, A. D. 1863. 

Resolved, That tlie thanks of the General Assembly be and they are 
hereby presented to Colonel Heni-y T. Sisson, and to the officers and men 
of the Fifth Rhode Island Regiment Volunteers for the gallantry and 
heroism which they displayed in running the gauntlet of the enemy's 
batteries on the Pamlico River, under circuinstances of extraordinary 
peril, on tlie night of April 13, 1863, and carrying to the beleagured gar- 
rison of Washington, North Carolina, reinforcements, ammunition and 
supplies. And that His Excellency the Governor be and is hereby di- 
rected to transmit a copy of this resolution to Col. H. T. Sisson, and 
another copy to the Honorable Secretary of War. 

A true copy, attest : 

[l. s.] Joshua M. Addeman, Secretary of State. 

Many incidents occurred, some of which may be mentioned. The 
three prisoners captured by Company G when Lieutenant-Colonel 
Tew first occupied Rodman's Point, speedily became the guests of 
the command. " The captain seemed much of a gentleman," wrote 
Chaplain White, "and gave me much information. He says there 
can be no chance for the Confederacy to triumph. The lieutenant 



J 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 1G5 

said they would fight it out, and all die before they would surrender. 
I asked him why he sang out so lustily, • Don't fire ! don't fire ! we 
surrender! we surrender I ' if they were going to die fifhtino-?" 
Another letter contains this : "The night we arrived we cheered 
wonderfully, and the ' secesh ' thought the rebels had got in, and at 
once they went to cooking, and some kept it up all night so as to be 
ready for their friends." 

As indicating how soldiers can avail themselves of every oppor- 
tunity to improve their condition in regard to food, we will rehate 
this incident : One day some of the men of Company C captured a 
calf, killed and dressed it. After cooking, eating and disposing of 
what they desired of the carcass, two of them took the head and 
carried it into the town where they traded it for delicacies that were 
not issued to soldiers by the commissary department. They con- 
sisted of pies, cakes, etc., and were an agreeable exchange for 
Uncle Sam's army rations. 

As an evidence of the feeling that prevailed throughout the 
regiment an extract is here made from a private letter written the 
next day after we reached Washington: " Taking everything into 
consideration, 1 think that although we are in a pretty tight place 
we shall come out all right, somehow. The blockade 1ms been run, 
and the old Fiftli did it. Others may follow, so that we shall have 
troops enough to man our long line of defences, and then they may 
attack and be d feated." 

The Hill's Point battery had been constructed by the enemy at 
the time they blockaded the river at this point in 1861. When our 
forces took Washington in 1862, they had left these abandoned Avorks 
intact. It proved to be a grave oversight. When the siege was 
raised the earthworks had not been injured in the least, apparently, 
by the fire of the gunboats, nor had there been much loss of life in 
the fort. The rebels had constructed an excellent bomb-proof under 
the platform of each gun. After the rebels evacuated it on the 
16th, a barrel of powder was placed in each bomb-proof and ex- 
ploded simultaneously, completely demolishing it. 

Chaplain Hall, of the Forty-fourth Massachusetts, had been wait- 
ing at the mouth of Pamlico River some days for an opportunity to 
rejoin his regiment in Washington. As has been stated he was on 



166 HISTORY OF THE 

the Escort on the night of the 13th. Immediately after his arrival 
he wrote home: "You can imagine my joy at having reached my 
regiment once more. Perhaps no hour of my life ever brought more 
entire relief than when I landed here last night. It had been insuf- 
ferably wearisome and depressing. Penned up in a small boat, 
Washington just within sight each day, but just out of reach ; heavy 
firing constantly about the little town, leaving us to imagine the con- 
sequences ; each morning bringing some new hopes and each evening 
some fresh and bitter disappointments. Patience and hope had be- 
gun to fail. . . . Relief came at last, and that you will be 
pleased to hear, from a Rhode Island regiment. Let it be spoken as 
widely and loudly as you choose, that when everything else had 
failed, poor, beleagured Washington got its first ray of promise and 
of comfort from Colonel Sisson and the Fifth Rhode Island. It was 
one of the heroisms of the war wdiich should not be forgotten." 

A correspondent of the New York Herald^ writing of our passage 
of the batteries on the night of the 13th, closes his account with 
these words : 

"You know that I have seen many feats of valor during the war, and 
can judge somewhat of the nerve and boldness requisite for them, and 
can also approximate unto something like a reasonable comparison of 
such events ; and here allow nie to say that this feat of the Escort and those 
on board has had no parallel during the war. Gunboats and iron-clads, 
to be sure, have run past batteries in wide rivers, as it was their place to 
do, and the events have been telegraphed far and wide ; but I have yet to 
learn of an unarmed transport, loaded with a regiment of men and a 
cargo of supplies and ammunition even attempting such a thing before." 

The following vivid account of the feat as it appeared to the be- 
leagured garrison is from the History of the Twenty- Seventh Massa- 
chusetts Infantry : 

"The night settled dark, rainy and cheerless, and our men, smeared 
with mud in their bomb-proofs, and wearied with constant watching, 
were placed on three-quarter rations of meat and bread. Orders had 
been issued during the day to collect and save the enemy's missiles, for 
use by us in case of necessity. We were certainly verging on bitter ex- 
tremities, but there was no diminution of purpose to resist to the last. 
At ten o'clock an alarm was given, bringing every man to his post; and 
through the darkness we strained our eyes for an explanation of the 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 167 

alarm. Hill's Point and the river batteries were belching- forth a sheet 
of flame, and, mingling with the peal and din, was the rattle of musketry 
and clash of arms below. Nearer and nearer the contest waged, until at 
eleven o'clock Rodman joined in the fray. The enemy on the hill seemed 
puzzled like ourselves, and opened with grape, canister and shell along 
the entire line, our guns replying with vigor and effect. All was intense 
excitement and suspense. The blaze of gun and shell, with gleam of 
Parthian arrows and peal on peal in quick succession told of a desperate 
strife, but ' what could it be'?' By the flash of guns at Rodman's Point 
our men at number four detect what seems to them a phantom steamer, 
ploughing its way up the river through a storm of fire and iron hail. 
Rubbing their eyes, already strained by constant watching, they pierce 
again the curtain of night, and, now assured, send cheering tidings along 
the line, ' There's a steamer coming ! ' How we trembled with hope and 
fear as we saw it defying Rodman's murderous fire, and, as it emerged 
from the gauntlet of death, we were in an ecstacy of joy, the lapping of 
its friendly wheels assuring us that all was well. As it passed Xo. 4, 
the garrison gave cheer on cheer, which received a ringing response from 
those on board, and three steamer whistles, so exultant and natural, 
that every man in the beleagured town exclaimed, 'That's the Escort ! 
that's the Escort ! ' 

" General Foster repaired to the wharf, and, as the steamer drew near, 
Colonel Sisson jumped ashore, and saluting him said, * General, I am here 
with the Fifth Rhode Island Regiment.' Rome immortalized her sons, 
but these immortalized their State, and how grand and herculean they 
looked as they marched along. And the grand, old Escort, too; how she 
loomed in the darkness like a thing of life, proud ;in her unconscious- 
ness, filled to the brim with aid and comfort, and yet with only a single 
scar to tell of the terrible ordeal through which she afforded this cheer. 
Such a miracle or succession of miracles! Not a soul had been injured, 
nor an ounce of supplies lost or damaged. Such cheers and wild delight 
as filled the besieged town is given only few to know, and Ave say now 
as then, God bless the Fifth Rhode Island and that noble craft and crew 
of the Escort!" 

And thus the Fifth Rhode Island again proved that in times of 
great emergency sublime audacity means sublime success. 



CHAPTER XL 



THE FIFTH BECOMES A REGIMENT OF HEAVY 
AETILLERY. 

A Summer and Autumn in New Berne. ■ 

WITH the siege of Washington ended the active operations 
of the enemy in force in North Carolina, for the spring 
and summer of 1863. The needs of the rebel army in 
Virginia had caused the recall of General Longstreet from South- 
western Virginia and North Carolina, and obliged the Confederate 
authorities to send every man that could be spared from the seaboard 
to General Lee. In a like manner were all of our troops that were 
not actually needed to defend fortified places in North Carolina sent 
away from time to time, until the Eighteenth Army Corps was so 
reduced as to be the mere skeleton of an organization. Even this 
small force was soon to be reduced by the loss of a number of regi- 
ments of " nine months" men, whose terms of service would soon 
expire. For the present the force at General Foster's disposal could 
only hold that much of the country that was within his picket lines. 
In the changes that now took place the Fifth Rhode Island was 
selected by General Foster to garrison the several forts in the line of 
works around New Berne. At this time he also warmly recom- 
mended to the secretary of war that the regiment should be changed 
to and be knoAvn as the Fifth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery. This 
change, if completed, would increase the regiment to an organiza- 
tion of twelve companies of one hundred and fifty men each, or 
1,800 men in all. Each company would then have one captain, two 
first and two second lieutenants, with a quartermaster and commis- 
sary sergeant. The regiment would also be divided into three bat- 
talions of four companies, with a major and an assistant-surgeon 
for each battalion. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAXD HEAVY AUTILLEKV. 



1G9 



Pending the action of the secretary of war in this matter, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Tew was sent home to Rliode Island to make arrange- 
ments for recruiting the regiment to its maximum number. In the 
meantime no incident of note occurred to break the monotony of the 
daily routine. Lieutenant-Colonel Tew reached Providence about 




Lieut. Herbert D. Leavitt. 

{Formerlij First Sergeant Compaiu/ H Fifth Rhode Island Ilenry Artitlcrij.) 

May 3d, and at once commenced his work. Chaplain Wliite left us 
at this time on his first leave of absence. Indeed, the approaching 
heat of a Southern summer, with no prospect of active work in the 
field, made every one who could get away anxious to go North. The 
situation in the regiment during the first half of jMay is thus de- 
scribed : 



170 HISTORY OF THE 

" This is probably the last letter you will get from Camp Anthony. 
The Fifth is to garrison Forts Totten, Rowan and Stevenson. Yesterday 
two companies went to Totten, and two to Rowan. You know we have 
had one company in Rowan for some months. The rest will follow as 
soon as convenient. I should not like to be in the forts if there was likely 
to be any active campaign here this season. But, from present appear- 
ances, the Eighteenth Army Corps is to be merely an army of occupation, 
and, in fact, unless we were to take Wilmington, I don't see where we can 
move to any advantage. It seems to be the intention to hold all the 
places we now have here, or if we leave them, to do it of our own accord. 
We won't be whipped out. 

" May 12, ' Camp Anthony.' We have not all got away yet. The last 
two companies go to-day. The colonel and staff will go as soon as we 
get our new quarters cleaned up. They are to be in a fine, large, brick 
house at the head of Craven Street, and were lately occupied by General 
Stevenson. Lieutenant-Colonel Tew will be in command at Fort Totten, 
Major Jameson at Rowan, and probably Captain Potter at Stevenson, 
when it is completed. Colonel Sisson will be in command of the whole 
line." 

Tiie change from Cunip Anthony to the new quarters in the forts 
entailed a vast amount of severe labor, known in camp as fatigue 
duty. Therefore the most pleasant occupation that presented itself 
was in receiving " news from home." The activity of our chaplain 
and his thoughtfulness for our welfare did not cease with his depart- 
ure from among us. There was always a practical side to his fertile 
brain that led him to care for our bodily comfort as well as our 
spiritual welfare. So we were not surprised that he should make 
"An Appeal for the Fifth Regiment," in which he reminded our 
friends that we were still in North Carolina, where our duties sub- 
jected us by night as well as by day to constant exposure in a mala- 
rious and debilitating climate. He said : 

"Since my arrival home I am greatly pleased to know that the recent 
gallant conduct of Colonel Sisson and command in running the blockade 
near Washington, N. C, relieving Major-General Foster and raising the 
siege that was fast driving him to a surrender, is justly appreciated. 
Through the great mercy of God we lost no men. But the strain upon 
the nerves of the men was terrible. This is the second season of the 
Fifth in the South. It has seen much service and done some noble work. 
I hear that the hearts of the peojjle of our noble State throb with a 
quicker impulse at the mention of their patriotic services. These men 
need some ice and a few luxuries to help them past the sickly season, 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 171 

and bring them np to better health. The moral effect of such a gift 
upon the men would be incalculable. Not much has been done for the 
Fifth in this way, and so we ask with the more confidence. If you ap- 
l^reciate our services, let us see it in a gift of the few tilings we ask. 

" I am instructed to ask for one hundred tons of ice, twenty barrels of 
potatoes, five bai'rels of onions, one hundred hams of dried beef, ten 
barrels of dried apples, five barrels of dried sweet corn, a few books, and 
a supply of soft woolen stockings, as the coarse ones furnished make the 
feet of the men sore when marching. Persons wishing to aid can furnish 
parts of the above, or money. The noble men in Belger's battery are 
near us, and what the Fifth gets will be shared by them. Packages for 
soldiers will be taken." 

To have such kind words spoken for them among tlieir relatives 
and friends at this time did the men of our regiment and Battery F 
almost as much good as the store of good things that came in answer 
to this did us a few weeks later. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Tew, Iiaving returned from his leave, Colonel 
Sisson left us June otli to complete the visit home which tlie attack 
on New Berne had so rudely interrupted in March. He went in 
company with the Forty-fourth Massachusetts, whose term of service 
had expired, and was the recipient of many pleasing compliments for 
himself and the regiment. He was with that regiment when it was 
welcomed home by tlie assembled people of Boston on their Com- 
mon. In his address of welcome Mayor Lincoln said, " I cannot 
conclude without acknowledging the important aid given to your 
regiment in the perilous period of your history by the Fifth Rhode 
Island Regiment, Colonel Sisson, who, I am happy to know, 
is present, and cem bear to his command the gratitude of our people 
for their timely assistance." Colonel Lee, of the Forty-fourth, -in 
his reply said, " I thank you for your allusion to Colonel Sisson, of 
the Rhode Island Fifth, for a more gallant act has never taken place 
in the war than that rendered us by that noble regiment." 

It seems fitting that we should make a brief allusion to the gallant 
record of the Forty- fourth Massachusetts Regiment, as it had been 
associated with our brigade during its entire stay in North Carolina. 
Although its term of service was limited in comparison with the 
regiments that were enlisted for three years or the war, yet it cheer- 
fully and courageously bore all the hardships and duties incident to 
an active campaign in the Old North State, and it had cause to feel 



172 HISTORY OF THE 

proud of the record it made while in service. We shall ever cherish 
a kindly interest and feeling for every man who was connected 
with it. 

We cannot give a better accomit of its gallant service in the field 
than the one which appeared in the Boston Journal on the return of 
that regiment to Massachusetts. It says : 

" The regiment has been in five engagements, viz. : Rawle's Mills, Kin- 
ston, Whitehall, Goldsboro, and Washington, all in North Carolina, in 
which thii-teen men were killed. On leaving Massachusetts there was 
an aggregate of 1,018 in the regiment, and it returns with 916, one hun- 
dred and two having been killed in battle, died of disease or discharged 
for disability." 

May 27th the Secretary of War issued an order authorizing the 
Governor of Rhode Island to change the Fifth Regiment Rhode 
Island Infantry to the Fifth Regiment Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, 
and to increase it to the maximum strength of twelve companies. It 
also contained the conditions under which the increase was to be 
made and the additional officers appointed. 'J'his order was soon 
published in the regiment, and with it ended its history as an organi- 
zation for active duty in the field. There can be no doubt that to 
most of the officers and nearly all of the men the change was re- 
ceived with great pleasure. To them it meant that the rest of their 
term of service would probably be passed in the vicinity of New 
Berne, where they would enjoy fixed quarters, full and regular ra- 
tions, an exemption from duty in the field, except in cases of ex- 
treme emergency, and a higher grade in the service. ''It also 
meant," as an officer tersely expressed it, " that they need not seek 
the enemy, but the enemy must seek them." Or, as one of the men 
put it, '•'• good times and better clothes." 

On the other hand some of the more thoughtful ones saw in the 
change a greater liability to relaxation from the high standard of 
vigor and discipline which the regiment had attained while engaged 
in their very active service up to this time ; a greater danger of the 
deterioration of the morale of officers and men which the ease and 
monotony of a life in camp sooner or later engenders, together with 
less ability to withstand the debilitating influences of the climate they 
were in. It meant also a greater exposure to the deadly malaria 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLKHY. 173 

while erecting and garrisoning the mud forts and earthworks, much 
more sickness, broken constitutions and deaths. They uro-ed that 
in such cases as tliis the officers would be more liable to social temp- 
tations, and that it was an invariable rule that the demoralization of 
frequent desertions was always greater during the soldier's life at a 
military post, than when engaged in the most active and dangerous 
campaign in the field. But these forebodings of the few could not 
dampen the general joy caused by a change procured by a general 
universally loved, as a reward for their gallanti-y, so they put away 
the sober-hued uniforms in which they had won fame for themselves, 
their State, and their country, and donned the gay, scarlet facings of 
the artillery arm of the service. This order was the signal for the 
dispersion of the companies among the various forts and stations 
around New Berne, never again to assemble in one body until or- 
dered home to be mustered out of service. 

The days immediately succeeding the change to heavy artillery 
were days of drill and fatigue to the men and anxiety and fatigue to 
the officers. A new vocabulary as well as a new drill had to be 
taught, and the officers themselves had first to become pupils in the 
same school. Books on the manual for field and heavy guns could 
be seen on all sides. Officers with wrinkled brows carefully conned 
the lesson for the day before going out to drill the gun squads. The 
old and familiar terms of company and battalion drill fell into disuse 
and a new laiiguage was in every one's mouth. The talk was of 
cascable and chase, pintle and trunnion, primer and tompion, elevation 
and field of fire, and the multitude of things that are the deepest of 
mysteries to the uninitiated. Their new duties also implied a practical 
knowledge of the elements of military engineering as applied to the 
construction of enclosed and other field works, and it was not long 
before our officers could talk learnedly about scarp and counter-scarp, 
fraise and palisade, abatis and chevaux-de-frise, berme, banquette, 
and tread of banquette, and a whole dictionary full of other unknown 
terms. 

The anticipated "good times" did not come, but instead a vast 
amount of hard work on the forts and breastworks. Platforms for 
guns in the new works had to be placed, magazines for ammuni- 
tion were made and then the shot and shell and powder had to be 



174 HISTORY OF THE 

stored. Quartei-s for men and officers were erected and roads made 
so that men and guns could be easily and quickly moved to any 
threatened point. All this in addition to the usual drill and guard 
duties. The southern summer, in all its fervor, was upon them, and 
the fatigues and exposure began to tell upon the health of all. Such 
was the state of affairs in camp when our chaplain arrived as the 
bearer of good gifts. He shall tell the story of his return : 

" I reached New Berne at five p. m. July .3d, and just iutime to cheer 
the men witli my good things, and lielp them liave a clieerful and joyous 
Fourth. Various dispositions had been made of me by rumor. All 
night Friday, were the men hard at work breaking out the cargo and 
conveying it to camp. My things came in I3ne sliape. The joy of the 
men was unbounded. Nearly everything has been distributed. There 
will be no complaint that eacli man did not get his share of everything 
sent out to the regiment. Lieutenant-Colonel Tew gave me every fa- 
cility, and Quartermaster Prouty and Lieutenant Beers, with their active 
assistants, have been indefatigable in helping me distribute my things. 
The noble men of Belger's Battery have shared in the distribution." 

The men of the regiment were at all times remembered at home 
by those who were not privileged to share the stern realities of war 
in the field. As a tangible evidence of the thoughtfulness and solici- 
tude of the gentler sex, we append herewith a poem which was for- 
warded to one of the comrades, in conjunction with a box of good 
things, and we hardly need mention that it was greatly appreciated 
by the recipient. These amusing verses read as follows : 

A SOIfG FOR THE TiMES. 

Three cheers for the Union, three cheers loud and strong, 
Here's the box come at last, that's been coming so long, 
And when it is opened we hoi^e 'twill prove plain. 
Though you've waited so long, you've not waited in vain; 
And now we will try if you'll just give attention: 

Here's a nice plum cake, of Aunt S's make, 
Who they say is the best cook in town, 
And we hope 'twill prove true, that all that you do, 
May be done up as nice and as brown. 
Some linen and lint, she happened to think, 
Might be useful, if such things you lack, 
But whatever is done, may it never be known 
They were applied to a wound on the hack. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLEUY. 175 

Peppers, and pepper-sauce, too, which she promised to you; 
A sour milk cheese she pressed with much care, 
Cookies and cup cakes, sweet, wliich we know can't be heat. 
And all this is Aunt S's share. 

Uncle B. sends some rare-ripes, fresh from the farm; 

Take them and eat them, they'll do you no harm; 

Some handkerchiefs from S., 'mongstthe rest will be seen, 

So please take the hint and keep your nose clean. 

Here's one for the Union, of red, white and blue, 

We hope to that Union, you will ever prove true, 

And the next city or fort you may happen to take. 

Hold it up in the air and give it a shake. 

" May the best man win," this motto you see, 

Ambrose E. Burnside, of course that will be. 

If your flag should get torn from the hand of the brave, 

Give three cheers for the Union and let this one wave. 

If the nights should be damp, and your blankets be thin, 

It is large enough quite to wrap yourself in. 

And if for clothing you happen to lack. 

It will take the place of a shirt to your back. 

So much for the handkerchief sent from afar. 

Three cheers for the Union, hurrah boys, hurrah. 

This comb and brush from Abby, selected with care. 

To comb out the locks of your bonny brown hair; 

Towels and soap, you know what they mean, 

Another little hint to keep your face clean. 

Here's butter and cheese, we hope they will please. 

And help these nice crackers to go down with ease. 

Balm of Gilead, balsam, and peppermint, too. 

You know very well for what they will do. 

Here's sugar and tea, you can make a strong dish, 

I think 'tis not hurtful even to a Fish; 

But don't drink it too strong, or I fear you will find 

Yourself more of a Wide Aioake, than is just to your mind. 

Here's a cake from friend B., from Mrs. AV. another. 

Seed cookies and ginger snaps, nice from your mother; 

While poor old Aunt E. so thoughtful and kind. 

Made the one on wliich her name you will find. 

Cayenne and black pepper, sugarplums and honey, 

A few postage stamps, just as good as the money. 

Here's a nice lot of apples, a rarity, too, 

Though they are dear, you will see they are not dearer than you. 



176 HISTOKY OF THE 

Peanuts from G., from L. and B. some candy, 

A jack-knife from A. she thought 'twould come handy. 

Oranges and lemons from J., don't despise them though small, 

A joke-book from S., 'twill make fun for all. 

Pens, paper, and envelopes from Betsey, you couldn't find better, 

From S. and M. each a long letter. 

An Almanac from S. you'll find good indeed. 
Carefully read it, and in reading give heed. 
Thread, needles, and buttons, good to make repairs; 
But don't spend too much time in sowing the tares. 

Here' something from all except Brother Joe, 
We couldn't get him word when tlie box was to go; 
And hoping these things will reach you all right, 
We'll only just add e're we bid you good night. 
We hope that success all your efforts will crown. 
And our flag will go up, while the rebel's goes down; 
Give three cheers for Burnside, for Sprague three more, 
• Three cheers for your Captain, so thin and so j^oor, 
Three cheers for Ehody's brave sons, wherever they're seen, 
Three cheers for the Union, three cheers for Eugene. 

Chaplain White, upon his return to the regiment, was also the 
bearer of the stand of colors from the Forty-fourth Massachusetts, 
which he was delegated to present to tlie Fifth, in behalf of the 
officers and men of that regiment. It was not until the afternoon 
of August 3d, that it was found possible to assemble all of the men, 
not on necessary guard duty, to formally receive them. 

When all was ready, Chaplain White stepped forward and made 
an eloquent address, recounting incidents in the return of the Forty- 
fourth Massachusetts and their reception at home, saying among 
other things : " Tlic name of the gallant Fifth and its noble officers 
and men, I am proud to tell you, has gone not only to Rhode Island, 
but throughout New England, and I may say throughout the whole 
North. Everywhere I received the most courteous attention, be- 
cause of my connection with you and your service." And then in 
"lowing language he spoke of the genuine feeling of comradeship and 
gratitude which dictated the preparation and presentation of this 
costly and elegant testimonial to tlie Fifth Rhode Island, and foretold 
the feeling of brotherhood that in the near future would exist, not 
only between the men engaged in this terrible strife, but between the 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 177 

(lifFei-ent states and sections of our common country, when this war 
should end in a glorious peace. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Tew, in behalf of the regiment, received tlie 
colors, and in terms as eloquent as tliose of the first speaker, tluuiked 
the donors of this most appropriate gift, and expressed the re<«-ard of 




Lieut. William H. Chenery. 

(Formerly Sergeant Conipamj 1), Fifth lihode Island Heavy Artillery.) 

every officer and man in the regiment for their former comrades, 
the feeling of gratitude with which this banner was received, and 
the resolution with which it would be defended when the fortunes of 
war should cause it to be carried to the front of battle. The colors 
were then placed in charge of Color Sergeant George W. Ford, who 
had recently been appointed to that position. 
12 



178 HISTORY OF THE 

At the conclusion of Colonel Tew's remarks the whole regiment 
broke forth into such cheers as our men knew how to give ; three 
for the gallant Lee, three for the officers and men of the P'orty- 
fourth, and nine for the splendid gift. 

A letter of the date of August 4th says : " There is some sick- 
ness among us, but not more than would be expected at this season. 
"We are waiting with open arms to kindly receive our brethren who 
have been invited by ' Uncle Sam ' (drafted men) to lend us a help- 
ing hand. The kind face of Lieutenant-Colonel Tew lights up with 
benignity as the hour draws near for them to join us, and our Quar- 
termaster, Lieutenant Prouty, seems almost ubiquitous as he moves 
to and fro securing tents, ' hard tack,' etc., etc., for their accommo- 
dation and comfort. Colonel Sisson is looked for daily, and when 
all are together again there will be an hour of general rejoicing." 

Immediately after the battle of Gettysburg a call for troops had 
been made, and the several states were asked to raise their quotas by 
draft. Those drafted wei'e permitted to send substitutes. At once 
it became a lucrative business for a certain class of men to furnish 
these substitutes. In a short time this business grew to such dimen- 
sions that one man would make a contract to furnish the quota of a 
whole county for a fixed sum of bounty for each man. When this 
draft was ordered. Governor Smith, of Rhode Island, in a letter of 
July 13, 1863, asked the Secretary of War to assign 850 of the men 
proposed to be drafted in that State to the Fifth Rhode Island, It 
was the largest number of men he recommended to be assigned to 
any one regiment. While the regiment was still rejoicing over the 
stand of colors presented to them by the Forty-fourth Massachusetts, 
some four hundred of these men arrived in camp. The officers who 
came with these recruits proved valuable acquisitions to the regiment. 
We cannot refrain from mentioning one, who, although drafted as 
an enlisted man, and could have paid his exemption fee and remained 
at home, yet when drafted entered the service and prepared himself 
for the duties of a soldier. By his persistent efibrts at Providence 
he assisted in recruiting a large number of men for the regiment, 
and was rewarded for his untiring exertions a few weeks later by a 
commission. His name I need scarcely mention to any member of 



FIFTH RHODK ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 179 

the Fifth. His musical abilities are well known, and liis genial "-ood 
nature and kindly assistance on all occasions when the exigency de- 
mands it is proverbial among his comrades. We refer to Lieut. 
Levi L. Burdon. He had previously served in tlie Tenth Rhode 
Island Infantry. 

Another worthy comrade who came to us at tliis time deserves 
especial mention : Sergt. William H. Johnson. He was a drafted 
man but preferred to go to the front instead of paying the sum re- 
quisite to exempt him from military service. He had been a member 
of the First Rhode Island Detached Militia and detailed to the com- 
pany of carbineers. 

After the return of Colonel Sisson with the recruits before noted, 
the usual quiet attending purely garrison duty in the summer again 
descended upon our camp. About September 20th, Companies C, 
E and I, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Tew, were sent 
to garrison the forts at Hatteras Inlet. These forts had been garri- 
soned by two companies of " Buffaloes," as these islanders were 
called. They had enlisted with the condition that they should not be 
ordered off the banks for active service. General Peck, in com- 
mand of that district, was not aware of this conditional enlistment 
when he issued the order for relieving them. General Foster at 
once countermanded the order when he heard of General Peck's 
action. Captain Taft with Company I remained at Hatteras, and 
Company E, Captain Hopkins, and Company C, Lieutenant Pierce, 
were ordered to Washington, N. C. At this time the companies at 
JVew Berne were stationed as follows : Company H, Captain Lan- 
ders, in Fort Stevenson. This fort was on the bank of the river 
above the town ; Company G, Captain Robinson, and Company F, 
Lieutenant Gladding, were in Fort Rowan, the next in line to the 
southwest, with Captain Robinson in command. Major Jameson 
was in command of Fort Totten, with Company A, Lieutenant Dur- 
fee, Company H, Lieutenant Angell, and Company K, Captain De 
Meulen ; Company D, Captain Moran, was in Fort Amory, across 
the Trent; Company B, Captain Potter, was in Fort Spinola, a 
strong work on the bank of the Neuse, below the mouth of the Trent. 
Colonel Sisson was in command of the whole line of defence on the 
south bank of the Neuse. 



180 HISTORY OF THE 

The correspondent of the Pi-ovidence Journal^ September 27th, 
thus describes the situation in camp : 

" Our regimental headquarters are in a fine cottage near Fort Totten. 
Near it are the regimental stables, and also the commissary and quarter- 
master stores. In the centre of a fine orchard, at headquarters, is the 
regimental hospital. Our surgeon. Doctor Warren, has been sick nearly 
two months, but he returned to us to-day. Doctor Potter, first assistant 
surgeon, has charge of Forts Stevenson, Amory, and Spinola, and also 
Belger's battery. Second Assistant Surgeon Greene has charge of the 
regimental hospital and Forts Rowan and Totten. This regiment has 
been exceedingly fortunate in its officers, and there is great harmony and 
efficiency among them. So many independent commands must necessa- 
i-ily lift a large number of these into prominence, and full well do they 
bear their honors and their care. The season has been somewhat un- 
healthy, but the malarious weather is departing. 

" The prevailing camp diseases have been fever and ague and intermit- 
tent fevers, with an occasional case of dysentery. Nearly every person 
connected with the regiment has been sick more or less, but these dis- 
eases are not very fatal. Since the first of July but three deaths have 
occurred. One died of fever brought on by over exposure, one was con- 
valescent, and had a relapse caused by eating green fruit, which proved 
fatal, and one was drowned. I had heard much of the sickly season and 
feared much suffering, yet the reality has by no means equaled my fears. 
And yet at times some of the sick suffer intensely. An instance that just 
occurred will give you an idea of my meaning. About twelve o'clock 
to-day a negro servant at the house all at once began to pick up the 
things he was using and button up his coat, and in a few minutes he sat 
at the fire, gripping his hands and shivering as if freezing, while the 
tears ran down the poor fellow's face and he moaned piteously. One day 
a soldier will be bright and cheerful, and the next the spell of disease is 
upon him, and he writhes as if beneath the frosts of winter, or in the 
consuming heats of an intolerable fever. There is something most sin- 
gular to me in these intermittent diseases. Persons who appear sick unto 
death one day seem as cheerful and well as possible the next. Nor do 
we, as some suppose, live a half barbarous life out here in ' Dixie.' 
Colonel Sisson found a piano somewhere, and by some means caused it to 
visit these headquarters. With plenty of hymn and other books of mu- 
sic, which Doctor Stevens of your city kindly furnished me, we get ou 
famously in our institutions of home life, home songs and home sounds. 
At times we feel lonely, but still we are willing to toil on. To abide in 
the joys of social life and home comforts would please us, but it were 
nobler first to finish our work." 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 181 

Fort Totten has been mentioned so often in these pages that it mav 
be well to attempt a brief description, for which we are indebted to 
Capt. James Mo ran. It was the largest and most important work 
in the line of defences around New Berne. It was situated about 
one mile from the town, and between tlie two principal roads 
entering the city from the west. They were known as the Trent 
and Neuse roads. It was a five-pointed work with bastions at 
four of the angles, while the salient, at the fifth one, was to the 
rear. The work enclosed from six to eight acres, and was sur- 
rounded Avith a wide and deep, but dry ditch. Each bastion mounted 
five guns ; one at the salient, one on each face, and two as '• flank- 
ers," to sweep the ditch. It also had on the front curtain embrasures 
for four thirty-two-pounder howitzers. There were four eight-inch 
mortars in rear of the howitzer platforms. The guns were thirty- 
two's, with the exception of one eight-inch colunibiad and one rifled 
thirty-two-pounder in bastion number three, and the flankers, which 
were thirty-two-pounder carronades on ships' carriages, and were to 
throw grape or canister. Extending across almost the entire length 
of the fort, parallel with the front and about forty feet behind the 
front curtain was a high traverse. It was made of faced timbers, 
about forty feet long. A trench about three feet deep was traced 
around the space the traverse was to cover. These timbers were 
placed on end in this ditch, and the earth was firmly tamped around 
them. They were then drawn in at the top, and the whole bolted 
and braced togetiier from top to bottom. At each end of this frame- 
work magazines were constructed, each one opening to the rear. 
Then the whole of this frame was filled with well tamped earth, 
which covered the magazines and made them shell and bomb-proof. 
The whole was surmounted with a breastwork sodded and revetted, 
affording a splendid place for sliarpshooters in case of an attack. 
The rampart on the traverse was reached by stairways from the rear. 
This great traverse was a landmark to the country for miles around. 
The quarters for the garrison and the parade ground were in rear of 
this traverse. It was supplemented by other and smaller ones at dif- 
ferent points to protect the several faces of the work from an enfi- 
lading or reverse fire. If properly armed and manned it could not 
have been taken by assault with any force the enemy could bring 
against it. 



182 HISTORY OF THE 

In October the Department of North Carolina was merged with 
that of Virginia, and the two became the Department of Virginia 
and North Carolina, with Major-General Butler in command. 
Many changes in the forces in the new department now occurred. 
The one most atfecting the Fifth was the loss of Belger's Battery, 
which was ordered to Fort Monroe, and with it we bade adieu to the 
last of the organizations that had become endeared to us during our 
service up to this time. Upon assuming command General Butler 
set out on a rapid tour of inspection of the forces and posts in his 
department. At New Berne every person at the post had an ex- 
treme desire to see this man who had the legal acumen to solve the 
status of escaped slaves within our lines by declaring them contra- 
band of Avar, who had the courage to hang a traitor, who had the 
executive ability to rule wisely and well so turbulent and hostile a 
city as New Orleans, and who had the nerve to quell draft riots in 
New York. For days he had been expected ; and who can tell the 
story of those days of preparation, the cleaning up of streets in town, 
the policing done in all the camps and quarters of every arm of the 
service, the sweepings which were given to parade grounds and com- 
pany streets, and last and not least, the cleaning of the iron guns in 
the forts and the polishing of the brass ones, the cleansing of uni- 
forms and polishing of buttons, belt-plates and shoulder scales. And 
what man was there in all that garrison that did not feel deep down 
in his heart that that eye of this famous general would see, and note 
too, the fleck of dirt on the butt-plate of his rifle as he stood at " or- 
dered arms?" He reached Beaufort by steamer November 19th, 
and inspected Fort Macon and the troops at Beaufort and Morehead 
City that day. 

The guns of Fort Totten announced his arrival in New Berne 
early in the morning of the 20th. Soon after, accompanied by 
Major-General Peck and Brigadier-General Palmer, and the otficers 
of their respective staffs in full uniform, he proceeded to Fort Steven- 
son, on the right of the line, and commenced his inspection of the de- 
fences. He rode into the fort, noted the nature of the ground around 
it, scanned the men as they stood in their places at the guns, facing 
inwards. Often he had word for the officers in command, and then 
he rode out and away to the next fort to do the same thing in exactly 



FIFTH KHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. ] 83 

the same way. A passing glimpse of a heavy-featured, corpulent 
man on a gaily-caparisoned gray horse, as he hurried by, followed by 
a number of officers of inferior rank, who kept gettino- in each other's 
way as they turned sharp corners in the fort, or strung out in a dis- 
orderly looking group as they scurried after him outside, is all that 
we saw of General Butler. And as we marched away to our quar- 
ters each one of us had a conviction that General Butler had not no- 
ticed whether our belt-plates and shoulder-scales were polished or 
not ; nor had he asked Colonel Sisson for our name. Then we 
thought of the days of sweeping, scouring and cleaning, and how he 
galloped through it all in an hour, and was off on the evening train 
for the — "next," and we felt our enthusiasm for an inspection 
by the major-general commanding the department slowly but surely 
ooze away. 

Again we settled down to our routine duties. At this time our 
surgeon, Doctor Warren, received an honorable discharge from the 
service on account of continued illness. It was to date from No- 
vember 7th. Assistant-Surgeon Albert Potter was commissioned as 
surgeon, and mustered as such Nov. 27, 1863. The recommen- 
dations asking for his promotion, from his superior officers in the 
medical department, as well as from his immediate superiors in the 
regiment, bore flattering testimony as to his worth as a skillful and 
faithful surgeon. Why we ever had any other surgeon Avas one of 
the things the men in the regiment could never understand. 

There was no formal observance of Tlianksgiving day in our camp 
this year. Such of the men or companies as could, made some addi- 
tions to their usual rations. Company D had peafowl in lieu of 
turkey. At the regimental hospital the patients were more fortu- 
nate than the majority of the regiment. Hospital Steward Burlin- 
game determined that they should have a dinner. But all of his 
energy could not procure the conventional turkeys. So he did the 
next best thing by getting a pig that when dressed weighed at least 
sixty pounds. This he had nicely roasted at the post bakery. A 
table was laid for thirty guests in one of the hospital tents, and the 
pig, nicely browned and standing on its feet, was the centre-piece. 
Around it were all of the vegetables and sauces, puddings and pies, 
fruit, and other things that make up a real New England Thanks- 



184 HISTORY OF THE 

giving dinner. It was the success of its kind in New Berne tliat 
day. Assistant-Surgeon Greene presided at the table, and every 
man in the hospital certified by deeds his appreciation of Steward 
Burlingame's labors for their comfort and pleasure. 

At this time our chaplain wrote : " The i-egiment is in fine health 
and spirits. The days are pleasant, the nights are cool, and some- 
times we get a light frost. 1 wish it were possible to say some word that 
would adequately and clearly express my opinion of the large major- 
ity of tlie non-commissioned officers and privates of this regiment, 
their devotion, patience and patriotism. When I see them in pain 
and in toil bearing up against despondency, I am astonished. I de- 
pend, not so much upon sermons, as upon social, kindly visits to the 
tents of the soldiers for the accomplishment of my work, and so, of 
course, see how things actually are." 

On the 31st of December the regiment was startled by the news of 
the death of Quartermaster William W. Prouty, of apoplexy. The 
funeral services were held in the Presbyterian Church, in New Street, 
January 2d. Pursuant to an order from headquarters of the regi- 
ment, the flags in all the forts were at half-mast, and all of the offi- 
cers and men not on necessary guard duty attended the services in 
the church. He was buried with military honors at the grave. The 
escort was under command of First Lieutenant Angell. In an unfin- 
ished letter to his mother Lieutenant Prout3''s last words were, "I 
want to come home." He had gone sooner than he thought. First 
Lieutenant Charles E. Lawton was appointed quartermaster. Of 
him it was said at that time, " He is a gentleman, has been in busi- 
ness in Newport for twenty years, and when he was drafted he did 
not send a substitute nor pay three hundred dollars, but came him- 
self. He was soon after commissioned by Governor Smith, and is 
now our quartermaster." 

So quiet was the life in New Berne during the autumn and first 
part of the winter that it seemed difficult to realize that we were 
actually in a state of war. The news from other fields reached us 
through the papers, so that the roar of the mighty struggle which 
raged along the Potomac and the Mississippi came to us as the mur- 
murs of some far-ofi" sound. Busy as they tried to keep us, some of 
the men found more leisure than was good for them. It was a cus- 
tom to allow passes to visit the town to a certain proportion of the 



FIFTH RHODK ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 



185 



men not on duty each day. Too often " commissary" would work 
its perfect w^ork on those thus enjoying a day's liberty. From this 
failing on the part of some of the men arose the following incident, 
which shall be told just as our chaplain related it at the time, .Tan. 
26, 1864: 




First Sergt. Daniel Dove. 

" Our mess was greatly interested when the following letter was 
received by Colonel Sisson. AVhen letters of general interest are re- 
ceived the adjutant reads them for the benefit of the company. As 
a specimen I send you the following from one of the boys who had 
remained down town a little too long, and the provost guard had 
arrested him. He was, evidently, one of our new recruits of foreign 
birth and limited knowledge of the Endish language : 



186 FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 

Craven Street Jail, New Berne, N. C. 

To the most illustrious warrior of the noble and patriotic State of Bhode 
Island, Colonel Si-fson, commandimj the Fifth Regiment Rhode Island 
Artillery : 

We, the undersigned, member of the celebrated regiment which has 
the honor to be commanded by you; 

We address you for the purpose of informing you that we are lield in 
durance vile on the base charge of desertion. But, noble sir, I do assure 
you that in reality it is no more than mere absence without leave. What 
makes the charge more disgusting to me is the imputation of flying in so 
disgraceful a manner from under the command of so noble a warrior as you 
are well known to be. Sir, if you could make it convenient to call at this 
place for a few moments, I hope I can convince you that my conduct has 
in no manner merited the vile stigma attempted to be attached to it. 
Hoping that your illustrious highness will grant the request mentioned 
in this, by so doing you will confer eternal obligation on your humble 
and devoted admirer and fellow patriot. 



Company , Fifth Itefft R. I. A. 

We all voted that the colonel could do no less than see his " fellow 
patriot." 

At this time our chaplain speaks of his work in the regiment in 
these terms : 

" God is with us in our work. Save the daily service at dress parade 
in Fort Totten and the two services per week in the hospital, our relig- 
ious work is chiefly done in a kind of pastoral labor. It is my custom to 
visit each tent where our men are stationed, in the six forts around New 
Berne, every week. It takes from two to three days every week to do 
this work. In sermons it is more diflicult to get at soldiers, but go into 
the tent and talk with them and they will open their hearts to you. 
Some of the most interesting moments in my life have been in the tents 
with the soldiers, talking of Jesus Christ. Let those who think all sol- 
diers are given to evil and wrong remember that in fact there are good 
men all among the camps, and that the God of all Mercy is not far from 
us, our duties and trials, our sufferings and our dangers. In all of the 
fields of labor where I have been I have never felt more entirely satisfied 
that I am doing God's work and God's will than here. I have no reason to 
suppose that a single officer or soldier in the regiment tries to hinder me 
in my work. Nor is my duty simply a work of faith. I see tokens of 
good." 




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CHAPTER XIL 



THE SECOND ATTACK OF THE REBELS ON 
NEW BERNE. 

IN August, 1863, the rebel army in Virginia had taken np the 
position near Louisa Court House and Culpepper, Va., which it 
substantially occupied until the opening of the campaign of the 
Wilderness, in May, 1864. Early in September, 1863, General 
Longstreet, of that army, was sent with two divisions of his corps? 
Hood's and Kershaw's, to reinforce General Bragg. It was the ar- 
rival of these troops that made it possible for the rebels to attack 
General Rosecrans at Chickamauga. The other division of Long- 
street's corps, Pickett's, or what there was left of it after its famous 
charge at Gettysburg, was withdrawn from the rebel army and sent 
south of the James, to rest and recruit its depleted ranks. When 
winter set ii], and i,t was certain that active operations in Virginia 
were over for that season, this division, under its able and dashing 
commander, was sent into North Carolina to find subsistence for it- 
self and collect. supplies and conscripts for the rebel army. The 
rebel authorities took advantage of the presence of this force in North 
Carolina to attempt another movement on New Berne, and with all 
the more chance of success now that General Foster had been trans- 
ferred to another department, and our forces had been weakened by 
an unusually sickly summer and autumn, together with the with- 
drawal to other fields of every man who coidd be spared. The 
plans of the enemy were carefully and skilfully made, and as care- 
fully concealed. In New Berne rumors of contemplated rebel 
movements were plentiful enough, but their only effect was to cause 
increased vijrilance at the various outposts. At this time the One 
Hundred and Thirty-second New York regiment was stationed at 



188 HISTORY OF THE 

Batchelder's Creek, -while the Twelfth New York Cavahy picketed 
and scouted through the country west of the city along the Trent 
River. At this time, January, 1864, the aggregate force of all arms 
at New Berne was less than five thousand men. 

Such was the state of affairs when, at five o'clock Monday morn- 
ing, Feb. 1, 1864, the long roll was beaten, and officers and men 
hastily turned out to hear the sounds of desperate figliting at Batch- 
elder's Creek and the stations along the Trent. The threatened at- 
tack on New Berne was being made, under circumstances more 
favorable to the rebel arms than ever before. Such reinforcements 
as could be spared from the scanty force in the city were hurried for- 
Avard to the reserve posts, only to find themselves in the presence of 
large forces of the enemy, and, struggle as they might, they were 
soon borne from the field by the mere weight of overwhelming imm- 
bers. They had either to retire on New Berne or be captured. At 
Batchelder's Creek the One Hundred and Thirty-second New York, 
under Colonel Classon, made a brave and determined stand, but were 
compelled to retreat, after losing heavily in ofiicers and men. They 
destroyed their camp and brought their iron-clad car, the Ifonitor, 
in with them. The fighting at Deep Gully and other stations was 
proportionately severe, and attended with the same results. The 
enemy followed our retiring men until they were under the cover of 
the guns of our works. By the middle of the afternoon the situa- 
tion in New Berne was gloomy enough. P^verything moveable, cav- 
alry, artillery, infantry, contrabands and stores, were within the line 
of defences. Detailed men and convalescents were hurried to their 
respective companies, the fire companies were ordered out and 
armed, and all able-bodied civilians, white and black, were soon 
added to the foi'ces in the works. The gunboats were now moved 
into position in both the Trent and Neuse rivers, so as to assist the 
forts in repelling an assault. 

Night came on, and our outer picket line was established within 
hailing distance of the works. General Palmer made the veiy best 
disposition possible of his meagre force. His line was six miles long. 
He had but eight hundred men for each mile, and no one could tell 
the point in this line on which the attack would fall. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILI.KUY. 189 

At this time the Fifth was distributed in the forts as foUows : 
Fort Totteii had two companies, D and I, and also two companies of 
the Second Massachusetts Heavy Artillery. The fort was in com- 
mand of Major Oliver, of that regiment, while Captain Moran Avas 
in command of bastion number three, and Captain Taft, of Company 
I, had charge of bastion number two. Fort Rowan had Company 
F, Lieut C. F. Gladding. Fort Stevenson had Company H, Capt. 
H. B. Landers. Fort Spinola, south of the Trent, had Company 
B, Capt. I. M. Potter. Fort Amory had Company G, Captain Rob- 
inson, and Fort Gaston, Company K, Captain De Meulin. Compa- 
nies C, Lieutenant Pierce, and E, Captain Hopkins, Avere still at 
" Little " Washington. Company A, Lieut. Dutee Johnston, Jr., was 
at Croatan Station, some twelve miles out, on the railroad towards 
Beaufort. Colonel Sisson was in command of all the forts, and our 
men were to man and work the guns. Careful instructions were 
given to the pickets ; the guns in tlie forts that would bear on an at- 
tacking force Avere shotted and trained, and the officers and men were 
at their posts. 

Time Avas now taken to ascertain the losses of the morning. Col- 
onel Classon, of the One Hundred and Thirty-second New York, had 
been compelled to retreat, Avith the loss of his quartermaster shot 
dead, two officers mortally Avounded, and a total of seventy enlisted 
men killed, Avounded and missing. He had also lost two guns of 
Angell's New York Battery. The Twelfth New York Cavalry had 
burned their camp and stores before leaving it. The Seventeenth 
Massachusetts was reported to have lost six officers and sixty-five 
men out of thirteen officers and 115 men, Avhile the lieutenant-colo- 
nel, J. P. Fellows, was missing. The utmost care was taken to have 
the meti in the best possible condition for the attack, which was now 
expected Avould be made not later than just before dawn in the morn- 
ing. Hot coffee Avas served to all of the men in the forts at least 
once durino; the night. 

In addition to the anxiety caused by the situation in New Berne, 
every one in the Fifth feared that the Avorst had befallen Lieutenant 
Johnson and Company A. Up to this time it had been the good for- 
tune of the Fifth to meet every emergency with coolness and courage. 
Indeed, the reputation of the regiment for bravery and steadiness 



190 HISTORY OF THE 

was second to that of no organization in the department. Every one 
knew that the company and its commander would give a good ac- 
count of themselves. They occcupied a small earthwork armed with 
two six-pounder brass guns, To the great relief of all, Lieutenant 
Johnson marched into New Berne during the night. When nearly 
surrounded he had collected some two hundred and fifty contrabands, 
spiked his guns, and made his way safely along the Neuse River road 
to our lines without loss. 

Morning dawned, and the expected attack had not been made. 
About nine A. M. a battalion of the Twelfth Regiment New York 
Cavalry moved out on the Trent road about one mile, and when near 
a piece of woods deployed a line of skirmishers. They had no 
sooner advanced this line than it received a severe fire from a large 
force of the enemy in the wood. One man was killed and a number 
were wounded. It took the cavalry but little time to learn that the 
enemy were still in strong force in our front, and they returned 
within our lines. The body of the dead soldier was brought in across 
the saddle of one of his fellow troopers. This occurred within sight 
of Fort Totten. It was learned that the force of the rebels en- 
gaged in this attack on New Berne was composed of Pickett's divis- 
ion, from Lee's army, Hoke's brigade, from Wilmington, N. C, 
and Clingman's and Cobb's brigades, that had so long been stationed 
at Kinston and Goldsboro. The exact number of this force was 
not known, as many must have been away on furlough at this time, 
but it could not have been less than fourteen to fifteen thousand of all 
arms. There were not less than three batteries. Owing to our very 
small force, nothing could be done but to wait until the enemy devel- 
oped their plans ; and so we passed the long, depressing day. 

Night came again to the wearied men in New Berne, only to in- 
crease their anxiety. "What will the rebels do next?" was the 
query in every mind. That the^- had some enterprise in hand was 
deemed certain, for they had as yet made no open demonstration 
against the town since the return of the cavalry reconnoisance in the 
morning. Preparations were made to pass the night in the same 
manner as the last one. As many men as could be spared at one time 
were permitted to take a short sleep. They were then aroused to 
relieve their comrades on post at the guns, who took their rest in turn, 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY, 



191 



while hot coffee was again served as before. About one o'clock a 
general alarm was made along the whole front. In some cases the 
pickets retired hastily to our works and reported the enemy advanc- 
ing. The cause of this alarm was soon known throughout our lines. 




Musician George W. Hoxie. 

The enemy had brought a complete gunboat's crew of two hundred 
and sixty men and a number of barges to Kinston by rail, where the 
boats were placed in the Neuse. The plan of using them was well 
conceived and came near being successful, as will be seen. These 
men were to drop down the river as near as possible to New Berne, 
and wait until about midnight. They were then, under cover of tlie 



192 HISTORY OF THE 

usual fog that settles at night ou the rivers in this section in the win- 
tev, to silently approach one of our gunboats in the river above the 
town, board and capture her. Then they were to man her and open 
fire from the rear on the forts and breastworks defending the city. 
In the confusion that would ensue, Pickett's columns were to sweep 
forward to the assault, carry the works, and New Berne would be 
their 's again. 

On Monday morning the Underwriter, one of the smallest but most 
useful of our gunboats, had been ordered to a point in the Neuse, 
just below Fort Stevenson, where she dropped anchor, beat to quar- 
ters, and trained her guns so as to sweep the plain in front of our 
works, at the same time cross-firing with the guns of the forts on 
any attacking force. About dusk the gig of the gunboat was sent up 
the river to see if any movement was being made by the enemy, and 
at the same time to try to communicate with some of our pickets at 
Batchelder's Creek, which had been cut off" the day before. It 
seems that while this boat was running up the channel south of 
Fleache's Island, the rebel boats were coming down tlie channel on 
the north side, and they thus passed each other in the darkness. 
One of the Undenvr iter's officers, after his exchange, gave this de- 
scription of the fight that ensued : " Two o'clock, Tuesday morning, 
the lookout forward saw the bow of a boat coming out of the heavy 
fog which had settled on the river, and hailed her. Receiving no 
answer, he fired, killing the man in the bow, although he believed it 
was our boat returning, yet the rule was, ' obey orders if you break 
owners.' Immediately after the shot was fired some dozen boats 
shot out from under cover of the fog, at a distance of only fifty 
yards, and, dividing into two divisions, attempted to board us foi'e 
and aft. The alarm was quickly given by the officer of the deck. 
The crew rushed promptly to their stations and obstinately disputed 
the rebels in their attempt to board. At last they were compelled to 
give way, overpovvered and outnumbered four to one. I am unable 
to give the exact number of our loss. It was not far from twenty. 
The captain was killed in the first part of the action, and two of our 
officers sevei'ely wounded. The heavy fog enabled tliem to come so 
near that we could not use our nine-inch ' barkers,' which would have 
turned the tide in our favor." 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HKAVY AKTILI.KKY. 19,j 

The rebel crew went at once to their quarters ; some to the fire- 
room to get up steam, some to the engine-room, and others to the 
guns. It is stated that they paid out the anchor cable to let her drop 
down the stream, so that if discovered the guns of Fort Stevenson 
would not be able to get her range before they got up steam enough 
to give her steerage way, and she swung in shore and went aground. 
During the struggle on her decks one of the crew jumped into the 
river, swam ashore, made his way into Fort Stevenson, and informed 
the commanding officer. Captain Landers, of Company H, the cause 
of the conflict he had heard on the Underwriter. He at once trained 
one of his largest guns on the boat and sent three shells into her. 
The enemy, finding that she was hard aground, that they had been 
discovered and were being raked by the shell from Fort Stevenson, 
set her on fire and took to their boats, leaving their own as well as 
our wounded, and escaped in the fog and darkness. At four o'clock 
the fire reached her magazine, and she blew up. All of the wounded 
left by the retreating enemy were either drowned or killed in the ex- 
plosion. Captain Landers, in speaking of this short and exciting 
struggle said : ''It seemed hard to fire into her when our wounded 
were groaning and crying for help, but it was my duty to shell the 
rebels out, and burn and sink her." He did all three. 

The rebel commander made this official report: "• The force un- 
der my command boarded and captured last night the United States 
gunboat Underwriter, four guns and ninety men and officers. Her 
position, within musket range of several strong works, one of which 
was raking the vessel during the time we had possession of her, and 
her not having stetim up, caused me to burn her. Our loss is twenty 
killed and wounded and four missing. The enemy's unknown." 

After the exciting events of the night, the morning of the third day 
dawned upon the weary men in the forts and breastworks, bringing 
to each one the confident expectation that this would surely be the 
decisive day. But there was no more apparent activity among the 
enemy they knew to be in their front than on the day before. Noth- 
ing occurred save a few exciting incidents here and there. Two of 
these will show the skill the Fifth had already attained in the use of 
heavy guns. Major Oliver, in command of Fort Totten, was gen- 
eral field officer of the day. About noon he came in from his morn- 
13 



194 HISTORY OF THE 

ii]g round and told Captain Moran that there was a rebel picket post 
of infantry out on the railroad, and he asked the captain if he could 
not stir it up a little. They estimated the distance to be one and 
one-half miles from Fort Totten. They went to the rifled thirty-two 
and found the gun squad just taking their dinner. Captain Moran 
withdrew the charge of shrapnel, cut the fuse of a shell to that dis- 
tance, loaded and elevated the gun and discharged it. They watched 
the flight of the shell as it arose high in the air, and Major Oliver in- 
sisted that the elevation was too great, that the shell would go far 
beyond, and they left the bastion. It was learned afterward that the 
shell did drop, " by chance," Captain Moran says, among the squad 
of rebels, killing three and wounding others. Just at evening the men 
of Company D had a chance to use their " pet," the eight-inch colum- 
biad. About sundown a rebel officer rode out of the woods on the 
Neuse road toward Fort Totten. He walked his horse at a slow 
pace, and his manner seemed to indicate that he was examining our 
works. " He was watched closely, and it was determined to giv^e 
him a salute if he came much further. The columbiad was trained 
on a point in the road tliat was known to be 800 yards from the fort, 
and a shell primed for that distance w^as placed in the gun. By the 
time he had reached that point the gun was fired. It was a pretty 
shot. The shell exploded ten or twelve feet from the ground, right in 
front of the horseman, A moment after the flash of the explosion 
we saw the riderless horse scampering up the road imtil it was out of 
sight in the gathering darkness." During the day the enemy ap- 
peared in some foi'ce in front of Fort Spinola, below the Trent, and 
Captain Potter opened on them. They soon sought the shelter of the 
woods beyond the range of our guns. Captain De Meulen, in Fort 
Gaston, had a similar experience. 

Again preparations were made to pass another night under arms, 
and quiet settled down upon both friend and foe. Nothing occurred 
to attract attention until about eight o'clock, when a rebel band, 
which had been brought well down on the railroad, began to play 
" Bonnie Blue Flag," and followed it Avith other tunes. Colonel 
Sisson said, " Well, well, if they serenade us by day with shell, and 
with music at night, we must not be outdone in gallantry." So the 
fine band of the Second Massachusetts Heavy Artillery was brought 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTII.I.KKY. 195 

out to the top of the great traverse in Fort Totten, when it replied 
with " Rally Round the Flag," and other patriotic airs. Just as the 
rebel band commenced "Dixie" in their best style, Lieutenant 
Gladding, commanding Company F in Fort Rowan, thought the sere- 
nade would not be complete unless he joined in with some music of his 
OAvn. He had been busy preparing for it in the meantime by load- 
ing and training his " pet," the one hundred-pounder Parrot, on the 
spot where he thought the rebel band was stationed. When the strains 
of "Dixie" reached him he fired, and Avith the explosion of the 
shell, the rebel tune stopped short, never to go again in front of New 
Berne. All this time the general feeling was that some movement 
was going on among the rebels, and all were alert to prevent a sur- 
prise at any point in our line of defence. When morning came the 
mystery was soon solved. The enemy had retreated from all points 
in our front. AYith the failure of the attack on our gunboats van- 
ished their hopes of making a successful assault on our works. As 
soon as it was ascertained that the enemy had retired. Lieutenant 
Dutee Johnson, Jr., with Company A and a monitor car, started down 
the railroad for Croaton Station. He found a company of rebel cav- 
alry there, shelled them out, and again took possession of the little 
earthwork, and before night was " at home " again. 

General Pickett reported his loss at thirty-five killed and wounded. 
He claimed that he captured two guns, two stands of colors, thirteen 
officers and 280 men. 

The officer of the Underwriter^ whom we have before quoted, says: 
" In conversation with some of the Confederate naval officers, I was 
told that they had been watching us for several days, and intended to- 
capture the two other boats lying off the navy yard. Coming down 
the river, they lost their way in the fog, and finding only our boat, 
concluded to turn their whole force on us, and, after capturing our 
boat, to run down and attack the other two. Their force numbered 
260 picked men from Charleston, Wilmington and Richmond. Our 
force numbered sixty all told. A large number of the crew were 
ashore in the hospital, sick with the fever and ague. A detail had 
been sent to Plymouth, N. C, to join the surveying party. These 
facts account for the small number aboard at the time of the attack. 
Fort Stevenson opening on them caused confusion in the rebel guard, 



196 



HI.STUKY UF TIIK 



and many of our men, taking advantage of it, rolled overboard with 
their hands tied behind them. Only sixteen men were taken to 
Richmond. Thirteen of these men died in Andersonville." This 
officer also learned that the actual loss of the rebels in this attack on 
the Underwriter was thirty-four killed, wounded, and missing, in- 
cluding the executive officer. Midshipman Saunders. 

Our total loss on land did not exceed three hundred. About three 
hundred deserters and stragglers from the rebel army came into our 
lines or were picked up by our scouting parties. " If they came to 
take the place, they showed a want of pluck in retiring without 
an attack. If they only meant to harrass us, they made a great deal 
of cry for a very little wool." 

One morning this incident gave variety to the excitement of the 
virtual siege we were enduring. It took place in the presence of a 
large number of spectators. A slender young fellow, apparently a 
recruit of the Second Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, was conduct- 
ing a burly prisoner from theguard-house to the space in front of Fort 
Totten for some camp purpose. So much of a ruffian was this 
prisoner that he was handcuffed and had a ball and chain. When 
well outside the fort he broke his handcuffs and fetters, which he had 
previously filed nearly through for this enterprise, and, drawing a 
large knife, he bolted towards the woods. To the surprise of all, the 
slender guard threw away his rifle and followed with fine racing 
speed, rapidly gaining at every stride. Seeing that he was being 
overhauled, the big ruffian halted and brandished his terrible knife. 
Scarcely slacking his speed, the little fellow rushed in and landed one 
of his feet in the big man's stomach, and down he went in a heap. 
Another skillful kick knocked the knife from his hand. This the 
guard secured, and, when his man had recovered consciousness, he 
asked him if he wanted any more. The ruffian said he didn't. His 
guard, knife in hand, marched him back, recovered his rifle, and then 
took him to the guard-house. When asked why he threw away his 
rifle while in pursuit of his man, he said, " Why, I had been told 
that if a prisoner escaped while in m}' charge, I would be put in his 
place. I didn't know how to use the gun, and I did know that I 
could outrun and whip the fellow." The slender young man was a 
noted runner and general athlete from l^oston, and his kick was the 
well known French blow with the foot. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTII.LEHY. 



197 



Surgeon Potter was appointed examining surgeon of recruits for the 
department, February 10th. Under this order he had to examine 
all of the negro recruits who enlisted in the various regiments of 
colored troops. This was in addition to his other duties. On the 
14th Doctor Monroe came out with a commission as assistant-siir- 




Commissary Sergt. Joseph P. Sisson. 

geon in the Fifth. As the regiment had less than the minimum num- 
ber of men, he could not be mustered into the service. He remained 
in the department for some time as a " contract surgeon" in one of 
the general hospitals. About the same time Major Jameson received 
authority to recruit a regiment of colored troops, under the general 
regulations of the war department providing for the enlistment of 
men in such organizations. Adjt. J. M. Wheaton and a number 



198 HiSTORY OF THE 

of iion-commisioned officers of our regiment were detached to assist 
him, Lieut. Frank Gladding was then made adjutant of the regi- 
ment. 

At this time there seemed to be a sort of an epidemic desire 
throughout the whole department for commissions in colored regi- 
ments. Headquarters was fairly besieged with applicants who de- 
sired to go before General Silas Casey's examining board. Captains 
wanted to become field officers. Lieutenants wanted companies, and 
non-commissioned officers were anxious to exchange their shoulder 
scales for shoulder straps. This desire was very strong in our regi- 
ment, and many of our best qualified and most ambitious sergeants 
and corporals obtained the coveted commissions. 

Among those who successfully passed the rigid examination of the 
military board and received promotion were : 

Sergt.-Major Joseph G. Hatlinger promoted to first lieutenant in Second 
North Carolina Volunteers (Colored), July 17, 1863. 

Sergt. C. Henry Barney, Company A, promoted to first lieutenant Com- 
pany F, Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Dec. 2, 1863.* 

* It should be stated here that Sergeants Barney, Cheuery, Leavitt, and Gaskill, had re- 
ceived their commissions as lieutenants in the Second Battalion Fourteenth Rhode 
Island Heavy Artillery in December, 1863, and reported immediately for duty. 

As seven non-commissioned officers of the Fifth received commissions in the Four- 
teenth IJhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored), it seems fitting that a brief mention of 
this regiment and its service should be made here. 

The Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery was composed of three battalions, 1,800 
strong. Each battalion had four companies of 600 men, commanded by a major. The 
several battalions of the regiment were separated during a greater portion of the time, 
all, however, serving in the Department of the Gulf. 

In the First Battalion there were no members of the Fifth among its officers, so that we 
may be pardoned for not dwelling upon its service. 

In the Second Battalion, we find from the Fifth, Lieutenants C. Henry Barney, William 
H. Chenery, Robert S. Gaskill, and Herbert D. Leavitt. Lieutenant Barney served as 
adjutant of tile battalion duiing its entire time of service, except when acting as post 
adjutant at Plaquemine, La. This battalion under command of Capt. Nelson Kenyon sailed 
from Dutch Island, Jan. 8, 1804, in the transport Daniel Webster, for New Orleans. On 
arrival there it was ordered to English Turn, a few miles below the city, where, on March 
7th, Major Richard G. Shaw assumed command. From English Turn the battalion re- 
moved to Plaquemine, one hundred miles above New Orleans, where Major Shaw became 
post commander and Captain Kenyon assumed command of the battalion. The duties of 
the officers and men here were manifold and laborious. We quote here an extract from the 
Adjittnnt- General's Report of the State of Rhode Island for 1865 : " In August,(lS64), the 
Second Battalion was visited at Plaquemine by the Inspector-General of the Department 
of New Orleans, who reported to General Banks as follows : ' I landed in camp about 
noon, and no one knew of my coming. The call was sounded, and notice sent to turn 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTILLEUY. 199 

Sergt. William H. Clienery, Companj' D, promoted to fust lieutenant 
Company F, Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Dec. 21, 1863. 

First Sergt. Herbert D. Lea\'itt, Company H, promoted to second lieu- 
tenant Company £, Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Dec. 
22, 18(33. 

Sergt. Robert S. Gaskill, Company D, promoted to first lieutenant Com- 
pany H, Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Dec. 31, 1863. 

First Sergt. William F. Tansey, Company C, promoted to first lieutenant 
Company K, Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, March 15, 
1864. 

Sergt. Allen F. Cameron, Company A, promoted to first lieutenant Com- 
pany I, Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, .lune 25, 1864. 

Sergt. Oscar R. Livingstone, Company B, promoted to captain Company 
K, Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, .July 29, 1864. 

Corp. Thomas P. Mahar, Company F, promoted to lieutenant in First 
Xorth Carolina Heavy Artillery (Colored), Aug. 25, 1864. 

out for inspection. In live minutes lines were formed in tlieir streets. I found every 
man tit for duty (not on guard or picket) at inspection; also all of the officers. The arms 
and equipments were all in the very best of order. From this they marched up to the 
guns in double-quick time, and every man knew his place.' August 16th, General 
Banks addressed a complimentary letter to Major Shaw, commending tlie officers 
and men of his command for the good preservation of their arms, their excellent 
discipline and prompt e.xecution of orders." The fort which had been commenced 
by a former garrison was placed in a state of defence, and the battalion was engaged 
in guarding tlie town by a long line of pickets, besides furnishing a iletaclied picket 
on the opposite bank of the Mississippi Uiver. Several skirmislies with the enemy oc- 
curred while the battalion was stationed here. On one occasion the rebels dashed upon 
tlie outposts, capturing the outer picket (white), and subsequently the inner picket (col- 
ored). The latter the rebels inhumanly murdered as they retreated tlirough Indian Vil- 
lage, about twelve miles from Plaquemine. The battalion remained at this place during 
the greater portion of its term of service, with the exception of a few months at Donald- 
sonville. La., when it was ordered to Camp Parapet, La., preparatory to being mustered 
out. r 

In the Tliird Batt.alion among the officers of the line were Capt. Oscar R. Livingstone, 
Lieutenants William F. Tansey and Allen F. Cameron, formerly of the Fifth. This bat- 
talion sailed from Dutch Island on the transport America, April 3, 1864, accompanied by 
Lieutenant-Colonel Nelson Viall, a veteran of the Mexican War, and bearing with him 
a record of honorable service performed in the Second Rhode Island Infantry. On the 
15th of April the battalion arrived at New Orleans and was ordered to Camp Parapet, a 
few miles above the city. Here Lieutenant- Colonel Viall assumed command of the post, 
and Capt. Samuel Farnum commanded the battalion. Immediately after encamping 
fatigue parties were organized to work on the fortifications, and performed other varied 
and valuable service. In October, 1865, the war having terminated, and the services of 
the regiment being no longer required, the First and Second Battalions were ordered to 
Camp Parapet, where the regiment was mustered out Oct- 2,1865. On the 7th of that 
month it embarked on the Xot-tk Star for New York, arriving there on the 15th. Leav- 
ing New York the next day on the propeller Doris the regiment reached Portsmouth 
Grove, R. I., October 18th. A few days later the regiment was disbanded. 



200 ' HISTOKV OK THE 

Corp. James B. Babbitt, Company F, promoted to second lieutenant in 
First Nortli Carolina Heavy Artillery, Jan. 11, 1865. 

Private Jobn H. Rhodes, Company E, promoted to second lieutenant in 
Third North Carolina Volunteers. 

Private James D. CroUey, Company C, promoted to lieutenant in First 
North Carolina Volunteers. 

With the exception of the usual rumors of a rebel attack on 
this pUice and a rebel movement on that one, the quiet of our garri- 
son life remained ahnost unbroken until well toward the middle of 
March. Then our camp-fire talk was not so much about martial as 
marital affairs. Our colonel, and his usual straightforward and ener- 
getic way of doing things, was the subject of it. This was tiie reason 
and also tiie record of the affair: On the 14th of December, 1863, 
he was introduced to Miss Nettie Walworth, of Palmira, New 
York. On the 14th of February, 1864, he was engaged to her. On 
the 14th of March he married her. Tlie ceremony took place at the 
residence of the bride's uncle, Mr. Mallory, in the presence of the 
field and staff of our regiment and some officers from other organiza- 
tions. Chaplain White was the officiating clergyman, and Adjt. 
Frank Gladding and the youngdaughter of the host " stood up " with 
the bride and groom. The next evening they had a house warming, 
attended by the officers of our regiment and many others. Mrs. 
Sisson was soon well known in our regimental hospital, wliere her 
pleasant face and kind manner soon endeared her to all, and many 
were the delicacies that found their way through her instrumentality 
from the colonel's bountiful table to the bedside of the patients 
there. 

Soon after this our surgeon paid a well deserved tribute to one of 
those hard working, but seldom mentioned men, the non-commissioned 
staff. He wrote : 

" Hospital Steward Burlingame is at work on a hospital garden, 
from which to supply the regimental hospital with fresh vegetables 
this summer. He is invaluable in the hospital, keeping everything in 
good order, and he does Tiot need to be told every minute what 
to do. I should feel very sorry to lose him, but still I hope lie will 
get a commission some of these days. He certainly is worthy of 
one." 



FIFTH KHODK ISLAND HKAVV Ai; 11 l.l.KltV. 201 

Once more it became apparent that the rebels wouKl repeat their 
campaign in North Carolina of March and April, 1863. After their 
failure at New Berne that year, they made their descent on Little 
Washington. That they intended an attack on some other important 
post seemed as certain now as then. At last information from with- 
in the rebel lines indicated that Plymouth, on the Roanoke River, 
would next be called upon to face the coming storm. That the enemy 
had built a strong iron-clad in the Roanoke, above Plymouth, was 
well known, and that it was intended to make a joint attack by river 
and land, was equally certain. Six gunboats were in the river, and 
a brigade of veteran troops manned the defences of the town, which 
was under the command of Brigadier-General Wessells, who was 
well known as one of our bravest and best lighting generals. Every 
precaution was taken to guard against the descent of the rebel ram 
Albemarle. 

Sunday, April 17th, the land attack began, and it seemed only fun 
to our men. But at three o'clock Monday morning the ram sud- 
denly made her appearance, crushing one of our wooden gunboats as 
a strong man would an egg shell. The heaviest solid shot made no 
impression on her iron sides. There was not room enough in the 
river for our boats to manoeuvre and keep out of her way. Lieuten- 
ant-Commander Flusser ran alongside with one of the gunboats and 
tried to get a shell down her smoke-stack. Failing in this, he tried to 
fire a shell through one of her port-holes. The gun was fired when 
the ram was not more than two yards distant. The shell struck the 
side of the ram, was exploded by the concussion, and a piece of it 
flew back, striking and instantly killing Commander Flusser. The 
shell made no impression on the ram. The gunboats now had to 
get out of the narrow river or be destroyed one after another, so they 
retired to Albemarle Sound and blockaded the mouth of the Roa- 
noke.* This formidable ram, with her heavy armament, made the 
defences of Plymouth untenable, and, on Wednesday, April 20th. 
General Wessels surrendered. 

* Sergt. George Dunlap and Private Isaiah Crawford, Company E, of tlie Fifth, were 
detailed on board the Bombshell, and were presenl during the encounter of the gunboats 
and the rebel ram Albemarle. A newspaper correspondent writing of this affair says: 
" In this defence the Bombshell reiuiereil valuable assistance until about dark, when she 
was disabled by a shot through her steam-chest ." 



202 HISTOKY OF THE 

The appearance of the Alhemarle created a panic in North Caro- 
lina as great in proportion as that caused by the appearance of the 
3Ierrimac in Hampton Roads in the spring of 1862. At this time 
the department had been ahiiost denuded of troops to strengthen the 
Eighteenth Army Corps, which was now rendevouzed at Fortress 
Monroe, preparatory to a movement against Richmond by the Army 
of the James, under General Butler. It was feared that this ram 
would clear the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds of our fleet and block- 
ade all of our land forces. 

The nature of the attack was speedily known in New Berne, for on 
the night of the 20th, General Palmer and Colonel Sisson roused 
Captains Moran, of Company D, and Taft, Company I, after they 
had retired for the night, and explained to them the situation. It was 
feared that the ram Albemarle might attack and reduce the forts at 
Hatteras Inlet. They were ordered to get their companies ready to 
embark as soon as possible. In about an hour they were on the 
transport Pawtuxent and on their way to Hatteras, which they 
reached the next morning. Captain Moran was in command of the 
detachment and was instructed to take command of the post at Hat- 
taras on his arrival there. It was garrisoned already by two com- 
panies of the First North ('arolina Volunteers (white). He found 
the armament of the forts in very poor condition to withstand a vigor- 
ous attack. The men of the Fifth knew their business at this time. 
They relaid platforms and repaired gun carriages, moved the gun that 
would be of most use in case of an attack from the I'am, a one hun- 
dred-pounder Parrott, to a new and better position, and, repairing 
the carriage, remounted it, also repaired the carriage of the eleven- 
inch Columbiad which was unserviceable for a considerable time 
prior to this, and the second day after their arrival were ready for 
the rebel ram, or the rebel army for that matter. But our wooden 
gunboats had taught the Alhemarle a most wholesome lesson when 
slie attempted to leave the Roanoke, and she returned to Plymouth, 
there to remain until the daring Cushing put an end to her existence 
as a war vessel. On the 30th, Captain Moran was ordered to report 
with his detachment to the officer in command at Roanoke Island. 
He left Hatteras, May 1st, but did not reach the island until May 
2d, owing to a defect in the machinery of the transport, the Pilot Boy. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTILI.EHY. 203 

Captain Moran, with Company D, went to Fort Foster, and Captain 
Taft, with Company I to Fort Parke, on the north end of the island. 

The ram Albemarle, thoiigli she had retired from before onr fleet of 
wooden gunboats, was still feared, and in order to prevent the loss of 
another post under circumstances similar to that of Plymontli, it was 
decided to evacuate Washington and concentrate all the troops in 
that vicinity in New Berne. 

It will be remembered that in the preceding autumn Companies E, 
Captain Hopkins, and C, Lieutenant Pierce, had been sent from Hat- 
teras Inlet to Washington, and that Capt. William W. Douglas, of 
Company C, was in Rhode Island on recruiting service at the time. 
Soon after these companies reached Washington, E was sent to Rod- 
man's Point, and C to Hill's Point. They passed the winter at these 
posts doing the usual picket, guard and camp duties, and suffering 
severely from intermittent and other malarial fevers. Often the sick 
list was so great that there was not enough men " for duty " to sup- 
ply the detail for picket and camp guards. 

Nothing of interest occurred in the vicinity of Washington during 
the winter. At Hill's Point there were two companies of the Fifty- 
eighth Pennsylvania, the regiment so well known to every one in the 
Fifth while it was stationed at Batchelder's Creek, and also Company 
C. Capt. Cecil Clay, of the Fifty-eighth, commanded the post. He 
was of the Kentucky Clays, and a grandnephew of Henry Claw 
Some time after Captain Douglas had rejoined his company word was 
brought to the post that a rebel detachment was at work in the coun- 
try between the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers, impressing conscripts for 
the rebel army in Virginia. Captains Clay and Douglas determined 
to bring this detachment in. They made a detail of about fifty picked 
men from the three companies, and started from the post just before 
night. Marching all night, they reached the place where they had 
been informed the rebel detachment would pass on its man hunting 
expedition. Here they placed the men in ambush and remained all 
day, lying flat on the ground, and not even speaking to one another. 
They were cold and stiff enough when night came. 

Towards night they learned that the rebels had stopped at a house 
not far away. They surrounded tlie house and broke in the door, 
only to find it competely deserted. After searching for information, 



204 , FIFTH KHODE ISLAND HEAVV AHTILLERY. 

they at length learned that this much desired rebel band was in a small 
school-house, situated in an open field not far distant. The school- 
house was then surrounded. At the word the door was forced, and 
the men rushed in upon the sleeping rebels. They were told that if 
they fired a shot all would be killed, so they commenced destroying 
their carbines and shot-guns by striking the stocks on the floor. 
There were fifteen men under the command of a lieutenant in this 
press-gang thus happily captured without firing a shot. 

From this time on one day was but the repetition of another until 
the siege and loss of Plymouth caused a ripple of excitement. When 
it was decided to evacuate Washington, tlie men at Rodman's and 
Hill's Points were ordered to that town. This was about April 28th. 
For two days Companies C and E were employed in dismounting the 
guns and removing the stores. On the 30th the order for evacuation 
was given. All reports that our troops destroyed large amounts of 
supplies and ammunition are false. Not even a shell was left behind. 
Everything worth moving was taken away. The fires that burned 
the barracks and many houses in the town were not set by Union 
troops. No enemy had appeared in the vicinity and all the labor at- 
tending such an evacuation was done in the most deliberate manner. 
The troops emb'arked on the 30th, the gunboats were withdrawn, and 
Companies C and E reached New Berne the next day. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



CAPTURE OF COMPANY A AT CROATAN. 

Andersonville and Florence. 

WITH the opening of the campaign in Virginia the enemy 
hurried every man that could possibly be spared from 
North Carolina to Richmond to oppose the Array of the 
James, which was at that time assembled at Fortress Monroe, and 
threatening to advance on Richmond by the way of James River. 
To cover this movement of troops from North Carolina, the ram 
Albemarle came out of the Roanoke into the sound May 5th. After 
a long and desperate engagement, daring which two of our gunboats 
tried to sink her by ramming, she retired just at night up the Ro- 
anoke. She never came out again. In cooperation with this move- 
ment of the Albemarle^ a large force of rebel cavalry, estimated at 
one brigade, with two batteries, made a raid on New Berne. They 
first appeared and attacked our pickets at Batchelder's Creek and 
Rocky Run, Wednesday afternoon. May 4th, but only succeeded in 
driving our outposts in on tiie reserves. Thursday morning tiiey 
attacked the pickets at Evans's Mills, on Bryce's Creek, south of tjie 
Trent, and there they forced their way across. They then moved 
down the railroad toward Croatan Station, where they attacked Com- 
pany A, of our regiment, and, after a gallant resistance, it was com- 
pelled to surrender. 

Thursday afternoon they turned their steps back towards New 
Berne, and came up to within range of Fort Spinola, which at that 
time was garrisoned by Company B, Capt. I. M. Potter command- 
ing. The gunboats. Fort Spinola, and the iron-clad car Monitor 
opened on them, and they replied with a few shells, and then retired 
beyond the range of our guns. Friday morning they sent in a flag 



206 



HISTORY OF THE 



with a demand for the surrender of New Berne before sunset. They 
modestly stated their force to be three brigades of infantry, besides 
cavalry and artillery. Captain Potter went out to receive the flag, 
as he thought the picket might say something which would be im- 
proper in regard to the garrison or its defences. The officer in 




? ^^> 



Col. Isaac M. Potter. 



charge of the flag talked in a very boastful manner, at the same time 
the retreating rebel column was ten miles away. General Palmer 
advised them to depart, as he proposed to fire in that direction 
in half an hour, and some of them might get hurt. He also said 
that he was placed there to hold New Berne, and he should do so to 
the best of his ability. It afterwards transpired that they had been 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 207 

recalled to Virginia, and the demand for the surrender of New Berne 
was only a ruse to gain time to get their trains away without molesta- 
tion. 

In giving an account of the capture of Company A,* w^hicli was 
the only disaster that ever befell the Fifth, we will first give 
the official report of Colonel Sisson, and follow it with tlie narrative 
of Chaplain White, which tells us of the fight and surrender at Croa- 
tan, and the incidents of the march of the company as prisoners to 
Kinston. This will be supplemented with the narrative of S. B. 
Hiscox, of Company A, one of the few who survived Andersonville. 

Headquartets Fifth REGiMEiSfT R. I. Artillery, 

New Berne, N. C, May 8, 1804. 

General: I have the honor to report the capture by the enemy of a 
portion of my regiment, and submit the following particulars in relation 
thereto: 

During several months Company A has been stationed at Croatan, 
N. C. This i3lace is situated on the line of the Atlantic and Xorth Carolina 
Railroad, twelve miles from New Berne, and half a mile east of Brycc's 
Creek, and six miles from Havelock, going south. Croaton is an isolated 
place, and exceedingly difficult of access except by railroad, and has 
been held since the capture of New Berne simply to prevent guerrillas 
from tearing up the track and cutting the telegraph wire. 

About seven o'clock on the morning of the 5tli instant, the enemy in 
considerable force appeared at Croatan, having effected the crossing of 
Bryce's Creek at a point above the pickets of the company. Arriving at 
the " station," they immediately surrounded our men, preparatory to an 
attack, and to prevent the possibility of any escaping. Captain Aigau 
collected his men and threw his entire command into the fort at that 
place, which had one small gun, a six-pounder howitzer, and opened a 
vigorous fire on the enemy. A desperate fight ensued, lasting over air 
hour and a half, when the enemy demanded an unconditional surrender. 
This was refused by Captain Aigan. Subsequently, however, seeing that 
he could maintain his position but a short time, he agreed to a condi- 
tional surrender, the terms of wdiich I have been unable to ascertain. 
The citizens of Croatan affirm that the enemy freely acknowledged that 
our men fought with great gallantry. 

* At this time First Lieutenant Dutee Johnson, Jr., was on detaclied service. Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Tew having received authority from Headquarters District of North 
Carolina to recruit a regiment of colored infantry. Lieutenant Johnson was detailed to 
assist him, and consequently was absent when the attack on Croatan was made. Lieut. 
George H. Pierce and tlie following enlisted men were also detailed on this recruiting 
service : Sergt. Samuel Richards, Company I ; Sergt. Richard Lable, Company U ; Corp. 
Benjamin F. Drown, Company C, and Corp. Thomas Maher, Company F. 



208 UISTOUY OF THE 

Fortunately not one of Captain Aigan's command was killed, and but 
one was wounded. Tlie loss of the enemy was not known. Chaplain 
White's horse was found dead in the ditch where it was shot. The men 
were allowed, as part of the terms of surrender, to take two suits of 
clothint? each, which will be of great service to them while prisoners of 
war. 

About a week prior to their capture they received four months' pay 
from the government. Xearly one-third of the company had re-enlisted 
as veterans, and had received the first instalment of bounty, advance 
pay, etc. 

It is a source of satisfaction to know that the men of the Fifth Regi- 
ment who participated in this affair fought bravely and well, and did all 
that men could do against such unequal numbers. 

I am, sir, with respect, your obedient servant, 

Henry T. Sisson, Colonel ComcV;/ Fifth Ber/H B. I. Artillery. 

Brig.-General E. C. Mauran, Adjutant-General State of B. I. 

One corporal and tliree men on picket below the point where the 
enemy crossed escaped and made their way to New Berne. 

Chaplain White's narrative is as follows : 

" On the afternoon of May 4th I received permission to visit Cap- 
tain Aigau and Company A, at Croatan Station, a small fort on the 
railroad, eleven miles east of New Berne. In the performance of my 
duties as chaplain, I had usually visited this company by going on 
the cars, but this time I thought I would take my horse and visit also 
an old friend who was working a plantation a few miles below. I 
reached Croatan about four p. m., and found the captain, lieutenant, 
and company well. Everything seemed quiet, and there were no ru- 
mors of an enemy near. As was my weekly custom, I visited the 
tents of all the men, distributing newspapers and tracts and convers- 
ing with them. Lieutenant Durfee joined me in an evening ride, 
and Ave went over to see my friend, a few miles away, on the banks 
of the Neuse River. After supper we returned, reaching the fort 
just after dark. I spent the night with Captain Aigan, Lieutenant 
Durfee kindly compelling me to occupy his bed, while he slept on a 
blanket on the floor. Early in the morning Captain Aigan was up, 
and before I had arisen I heard the voice of an excited negro woman, 
who, near the fort, was telling the soldiers about the rebels, who, she 



FIFTH RHODK IS^LANl) HKAVY AKTII.I.KKY. 20!) 

said, were near her house, and were cutting out the blockade of trees 
that our men had felled across the road to prevent the enemv from 
coming in upon the railroad at that point. Soon another negro came 
with substantially the same story. Captain Aigau judged the ne- 
groes to have become needlessly alarmed, or, if pei-sons were cuttinof 
out the blockade, he thought it might be the negroes who had been 
permitted to make turpentine beyond the road, and were opening it to 
get it out. 

" Captain Aigan sat but a few moments at breakfast, and just as 
he came out another negro came in, giving more definite statements. 
Sergeant Kennedy, with ten or twelve men, was sent out at once to 
reconnoitre the position, while Captain Aigan mounted his horse and 
went on another road on the left toward his own pickets to see if 
there was any real cause of alarm. He proceeded nearly a mile, 
when he suddenly found himself surrounded by some twenty rebels, 
but as they desired to capture him they did not fire. Wheeling sud- 
denly, he put spurs to his horse and escaped to the fort. The tents 
were at once struck, water and what rations were on hand were 
taken into the fort, the drawbridge was taken up, the magazine 
opened, ammunition distributed, and every preparation made for 
action. While this was going on. Sergeant Kennedy and his men 
came in and reported the enemy advancing. The horse belonging to 
the fort and mine were taken to the rear of the fort and fastened in 
an old rifle-pit, where we supposed they would be safe. Skirmish- 
ing commenced between seven and eight o'clock, and not far from 
nine o'clock the Q,nemy's cavalry appeared nearly a mile distant, 
coming upon the railroad between us and New Berne. They seemed 
to come rapidly, without fear, and in considerable force. As the 
column were in fair view, Captain Aigan ordered a shell to be thrown 
from the six-pounder brass piece, which was the only defence of the 
fort except the muskets of the men. The fort was a small earth- 
work, and not intended to be held against a large force. Wlien the 
enemy advanced on New Berne last February, this work was evacu- 
ated by order, but as Captain Aigan had no orders lie had no al- 
ternative but to stay and meet what might come. The shell from our 
gun struck about four feet from the horse of the captain, and, passing 
into the column, cut off a liorse's head. 
14 



210 IIISJUUV OF TIIK 

"The column was at once halted and seemed thrown into consid- 
erable confusion, as it filed into the woods on our left. A rapid fire 
was kept up on them until they disappeai'ed in the woods. In a con- 
versation with Captain Martin, whose troop was in advance, he told 
me that he had never before been under such close and accurate 
shelling. Captain Again had sent out a man, who had been in the 
cavalry service, to reconnoitre, and who reported them dismounting 
and apparently preparing for an assault. Soon a sharp fire was 
opened upon us from the woods, near a house on the right of the rail- 
road. Not long after fire was opened on us from the low brush, near 
a house on the left of the railroad. Gradually the line was extended 
on the right and the left until we were entirely surrounded. The re- 
turn fire from the fort was as rapid and as heavy as we could make 
it. Solid shot, shell and canister were thrown first in one direction 
and then in another, and, as our gun was a field-piece, mounted on an 
elevated platform, it commanded the approach in every direction. In 
using it the men were ordered to keep well down to escape the rebel 
fire. Tiie rifles of the men also did tlieir part of the work. Tiie 
sharpshooters from the trees were more annoying to us tlian the fire 
from any other position. The gun became so hot that it was 
almost impossible to work it, and one cartridge took fire when the 
gunners were attempting to load it, throwing them against the walls 
of the fort. The men Avere compelled to handle their rifles by the 
gun slings they became so hot. 

'"As I v/ent around among the men to cheer, help, or do what I 
could, I was more than ever impressed with the noble patriotism of 
the men who compose our army. Captain Aigan Avas cool and brave, 
and most nobly did he perform his duty. Lieutenant Durfee super- 
intended the ammunition, and was constantly at his post. At half- 
past two o'clock a flag of truce was seen coming down the railroad. 
Firing then ceased on both sides. Captain Aigan went out to 
meet it and asked what was wanted. The officer replied that the 
surrender of the fort was demanded. Captain Aigan replied that he 
could not surrender the fort. He Avas informed that it would be re- 
duced, as ample means Avere at hand for that purpose, but if he 
Avould surrender they Avould not bring their artillery across the 
stream. Captain Again replied that he should not surrender, and. 



FIITII KHUDi: ISLAND IlKAVV AKTII.I.I.KV. 



211 



saluting, eacli turned to join his command. As he came back Cap- 
tain Aigan saw what he more than suspected, tliat the enemy had 
taken advantage of the truce. As soon as the firing ceased, a Uirge 
number of the enemy rose froin their cover and came into sight, and 
those that had not good positrons advanced and took them. Captain 




Major John Aigan. 



Aigan called Lieutenant Durfee and myself together, and, informing 
us of the result of the interview, he asked our opinion. Wc saw 
that the capture of tlie fort was only a question of time, and the only 
question aside from the lack of water was the sacrifice of the men. 
From the new position which the enemy had obtained during the 
truce we saw that we could hardly hope to work the gun for any 



212 HISTORY OF THE 

length of time. The only course then seemed to be the surrender of 
the fort. A white flag was then raised, and soon the officer who came 
before returned. Captain Aigan met Colonel Polk, of Deering's 
brigade of cavalry, and proposed to surrender on the following 
terms : 

'I. That all private property should be respected. 

'II. That the regimental chaplain, being present in the line of his du- 
ties, should not be treated as a prisoner of war. 

' III. That two negroes, who were company cooks, should be treated 
with humanity, and that two citizens, who were near the fort and entered 
it when the action came on, should be treated as non-combatants. 

' IV. That officers should retain their side-arms and the fort should be 
surrendered with the honors of war, and the troops march out with arms 
and music' 

" These conditions were at once granted, the firing ceased at half- 
past two, and the surrender was completed soon after four o'clock. 

"As the representatives of the two forces came from the parley to 
the fort, the forces surrounding us also advanced and formed about 
the fort in an irregular line. The men were at once sent to their 
quarters to secure their clothing. But the quick rebels were before 
some of them, and stole what they could get. Most of our men 
got their clothes. The officers, composed of the high-minded chiv- 
alry, rushed to the quarters of Captain Aigan, and before he could 
give some orders to the men for whose interests he was looking out, 
they ' gobbled ' most extensively, and it was only by my personal and 
earnest appeal to their honor, pride and shame, that I could induce 
them to leave some of the things for him. Many of the things that 
would have been a comfort to the officers in their prison life were 
shamelessly stolen by surgeons and staff officers of the brigade. The 
company chest was locked, and when the tent was struck, before the 
action commenced, it was left lying across the chest, and did not seem 
to attract the attention of the rebels. Having seen to the men, the 
captain and lieutenant opened their trunks, and such things as they 
did not want were distributed to the men. The company chest was 
opened, and though the rebels crowded and swore. Captain Aigan in- 
sisted on issuing to the men things to take the place of those lost by 
the rebels violating their agreement. Colonel Polk, to whom we sur- 



FIFTH KHODE ISLAND UKAVV AKTI l.l.KKV. 213 

rendered, treated us like a gentleman, and tried to fulfill his a"-ree- 
ment, I think, and had it not been for him some of the miserable 
harpies who followed him would have stripped us on the spot instead 
of waiting their chance to do so afterwards. I found it dillicult to 
keep my spurs or gauntlets. A staff otficer took liold of them and 
insisted on having them. Men high in rank insisted that Captain 
Aigan should give up his dress coat. Everything was appropriated. 
My horse, that had been killed during the action, was stripped of all 
the accoutrements, not even leaving me my blanket. While our men 
were securing their things, I saw a rebel advance to the fort and at- 
tempt to plant their tattered flag on the parapet. I at once went to 
Colonel Polk and told him of the action of the otficer, that the fort 
was not yet surrendered, and requested him to have it removed. He 
at once ordered it to be taken down. 

"' When the men had secured what they proposed to take with 
them, all entered the fort and prepared to evacuate it. The line was 
formed, arms were taken, and with music, we sadly, but with good 
heart, marched out. The tone of the martial air and the salute of 
the rolling drum caused many a rebel to bite his lip. Our drummers, 
it seemed to me, never played so well before. As Captain Aigan in 
his clear, strong voice gave his commands, I could detect in Ris tones 
defiance toward an enemy which had fought us forty to one, and to 
whom the fortunes of war compelled us to submit. The men handled 
and abandoned their rifles with an air that seemed to say, 'You have 
captured but you cannot conquer us.' Among the events of that day 
I will note the following: Duritig a lull in the firing and while the 
guns were cooling, we all kneeled down around the old flag-staff 'in 
the centre of the fort, and, uncovering our heads before God, I offered 
prayer, seeking the help and protecting care of God. May I not now 
believe that He who ruleth in the heavens and regardeth men looked 
upon our humble devotions and remembered us? Not a drop of blood 
was drawn from us by the enemy. Several of the enemy we were 
informed were killed. 

" vSoon after four o'clock in the afternoon we were formed in line, 
and, under guard, marched about one mile towards New Berne, and 
halted at the quarters of the section master of the railroad. Here a 
large number of rebel troops were camped, who were cooking chickens. 



214 HISTORY OF THE 

and such things as came to liand. At this point we saw General 
Deering, and here Colonel Polk turned us over to another officer. 
Here we began to make the acquaintance of southern honor. The 
captain and Lieutenant Durfee had, by agreement, retained their 
swords. They were now informed that they must give them up, and 
they were compelled to do so, although it was a gross violation of 
their agreement. About sundown we started again, and marched to 
Evans Mills, some six miles, that night. The country seemed to be 
full of troops. At this place Ave were put in an old block-house, and 
kept there all night under close guard and without supper. During 
the night and eai'ly in the morning we heard the dull sound of heavy 
trains moving, and soon learned that the whole army Avas moving 
away. From the officers' tables the negroes brought us a plateful of 
scraps of fried bacon and broken bits of corn bread. One plateful 
for fifty men. Captain Aigan turned to me and said, ' Here, chap- 
lain, give this to the men,' refusing to take any. The men got a few 
crumbs each. I said to the man, 'For God's sakej go and get us 
some food. These men fought hard yesterday and are to march to- 
day, and, having received no supper, must have breakfast.' He 
brought as much more. Any two men could have eaten all that he 
brought at one meal. That day, May 6th, we marched to Pollocks- 
ville, some twenty miles by the road we took, as we were informed. 
The dust and heat tried the men severely, as they had not been used 
to marching. About half-past nine that night we received about 
three pecks of unsifted corn meal in a bagand a few pounds of bacon. 
We borrowed a skillet and tried to make bread, and about midnight 
each of us got a small piece of corn bread. Water and meal, half 
baked, made but poor bread. I could not eat mine, and gave it 
away. The meat we ate raw. Hoping to find time in the morning 
to bake up the rest of the meal and get a breakfast of it, we lay down 
upon the grass and were soon asleep. 

" At a quarter before five we were ordered to fall in. Leaving the 
ruins of the small town, consisting of a few chimneys and piles of 
rubbish, we crossed the Trent on a pontoon bridge and marched 
rapidly away. The meal was carried by the men for awhile and 
then thrown into a wagon, and we never saw it afterward. On past 
wagon trains, infantry andcavalrv, at almost a double quick, we were 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTII.I.EItV 



215 



marched until we came to the rear of tlie artillery train. We were 
there informed by Captain Martin that he was ordered to keep us up 
to that during the day. Hour after hour went by of the hottest day, 
and mile after mile of the dustiest road. ^Ye were kept well up to 




Chaplain Rev. Henry S. White. 

the train. It was a forced march, i^ndurance began to fail. There 
was one extra horse. It was used to spell us wiien most exhausted. 
The men were suffering. I appealed totlie captaiu to allow us to go 
more slowly. He answered that his orders were imperative and tliat 
he could not violate them. I told him that the men could not staud 
it. He said they must stand it. I said, 'you will kill these men 



21 G HISTORY OF THK 

at this rate.' He said he was sorry, but that he must obey his or- 
ders. Looking back, for the officers were compelled to keep in front, 
I saw one of our men staggering as though he would fall, when one 
of the guard drew his carbine on him, and with oaths ordered him to 
close up, saying that no one would be left. The men all understood 
it and pushed on. A cavalry scout had been captured and was one 
of our detachment. When almost desperate with fatigue, he said, 
' Give me back my horse and arms and I'll fight my way back to 
New Berne.' The enraged captain drew his revolver on him, and 
swore that if he uttered another word about fighting he would blow 
his brains out. 

" Captain Aigan and I concluded that something must be done or 
the men would die. We had some personal effects with us. The 
saddle, equipments, blanket, etc., that they took from my horse after 
he was killed, they had agreed to turn over to me when I wanted 
them. These things were in the brigade, but I was not fool enough 
to think that I could ever obtain them. I might, however, turn 
them over to Captain Martin, and by so doing make way for a new 
appeal for the men. I then approached him and told him I wished 
him to have -the things, handing him my gauntlets and spurs, etc., 
then with me. He seemed much pleased. He said he hoped soon 
to be promoted, and he should value them much. After some more 
conversation I made a new appeal to him to go more slowly and 
spare the men. At first he said he could not, but at length began to 
yield. I appealed to his manhood, and the fear of God and the judg- 
ment, and told him kindly but plainly that if he killed our men by 
marching God would visit it upon liim. He at length halted the col- 
imin and gave them rest and water. From time to time our men 
Avere halted, and then we pushed on. About ten o'clock we reached 
Kinston jail, where we were turned in, and the rusty iron door was 
locked upon us. The artillery got through some five hours before us. 
I was informed that by the route we took we had marched about forty 
miles that day. When some of the men became so weary that they 
staggered, some of the guards would often give them a ride of a 
mile or so, and this helped a good deal. But some of the men did 
not ride one step. When I had marched some fifteen miles I was 
almost exhausted, but after that my system seemed almost to lose sen- 



KU'TH KIIODE ISr^ANI) IIKAVV AKTll.I.KUV. 217 

sation, and in a kind of a benumbed torpor I marched meclianicallv 
along. A soldier had a bundle of clothing, and, with his blanket, had 
a fine coat of Captain Aigan's. A mounted rebel rode up and joined 
our guard. Presently he said to the soldier, ' Would you like a ride ? ' 
He said he would. After riding some distance the owner of the 
horse asked him if he was rested. The soldier dismounted, but at 
tlie suggestion of the rebel left his bundle of clothing on the horse to 
be carried for him. For a time the rebel rode along as if connected 
with our guard, and then suddenly he was gone, and we saw him 
and the clothes no more." 

The story of Private Sylvester B. Hiscox, of Company A, is really 
a talk, in which, as far as possible, his own words and camp phrases 
have been retained. It was given to us amid the pressure of his busi- 
ness duties, in the most informal way, and his statements regarding 
dates and numbers are based on his recollection of them. It tells the 
awful tale of Andersonville and Florence so simply and so plainly 
that the great, ghastly scene seems before our eyes, and we feel it in 
our hearts. And that we have been able to get this story as 
it is and preserve it here, seems of itself to repay all the time and 
labor spent in collecting and arranging what is presented to our com- 
rades in this volume. Comrade Hiscox said : 

" Our company. A, was stationed at Croatan, N. C, on the At- 
lantic and North Carolina railroad, eleven miles from New Berne, to 
guard against a dash of the rebel cavalry to tear up the track or cut 
the telegraph wires. We were very comfortably located there, and 
had things about our own way. To our great surprise, our [)ickct5f 
came in one morning, the fifth of May it was, and told Captain 
Aigan, who was in command, that the ' Rebs ' were out there. He 
wasn't expecting them, and didn't seem to tliink much about it, and 
sent the pickets out again, saying, 'You were frightened boys, I 
guess.' So out they went again, but had not gone a great distance 
Avhen in they came on the double-quick. Then the captain ordered 
his horse immediately, and with Henry Seymour started for the 
front. AVe were all anxious to hear what the result might be, and 
commenced to get ready for an attack. They rode about fifteen min- 
utes, when they came to a turn in the road and rode right upon the 



218 HISTORY OF THE 

' Rebs.' The captain and Seymour wlieeled about and made good 
time for camp, and it was a laughable sight to us tlien to see them 
coming on the clean jump, lying as close to their horses' backs as 
they could, with the ' Rebs ' close on them, firing and ordering them 
to halt. They didn't pay any attention to these orders, but came in 
out of breath, saying ' They are there, boys ! ' and giving orders in 
wild excitement for a'few minutes. Then we were all ordered into 
our little fort, with one six-pounder bi'ass piece, which could do veiy 
good work as we found afterwards. And then we waited patiently 
for the rebels, not knowing from what direction they would come in 
on us. 

"■ Here I might state that Chaplain White came down from New 
Berne the day before fur the purpose of bringing us reading 
matter, and so forth, and had his horse saddled and at Captain 
Aigan's tent door, ready to start for New Berne when our pickets 
were di'iven in. The captain deemed it unsafe for him to set out, so 
he hitched his horse outside and came in the fort with us, saying that 
he would share our fate. He was a good soul, always cheerful and 
kind, and gave us encouraging words wherever he was, especially 
while he was with us as a prisoner ; but still the ' Rebs ' called him 
hard names, because he was a minister of the gospel I suppose. But 
to go back to my story. Well, to our surprise they came down on 
us from the north over an open field, all mounted and coming at a 
fearful pace. But we gave them a shell from our little brass piece, 
and it burst riglit in their column, scattering them in all directions at 
the same time. Captain Aigan's horse broke loose and ran towards 
the ' Rebs,' and we saw one of them who had lost his horse by our 
shell mount him and ride away. Then they came in on us from two 
sides, east and west, and we had it hot for about two hours, our good 
captain standing there and encoui'aging us, and dealing out ammuni- 
tion in abundance. Besides our rifles that little brass six-pounder 
did its duty well, for it counted every time. The ' Rebs ' would 
hardly believe that we had but one gun. 

" Soon the ' Rebs ' showed a white flag and demanded that we 
surrender. Captain Aigan refused to suri'ender, and soon we were 
fighting again with more vigor than ever, the captain saying, ' If 
our ammunition holds out we will orjve them enough of it.' Our 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND IIKAVY AK TI I.l.KRY. 210 

rifles at this time had got so hot tliat we liad to handle them by the 
gun-slings, and we were hoping every minute that they would let up 
a little. But all the time they were crawling up nearer. When our 
shell scattered them they had gone into the woods and dismounted. 
Then they raised the flag and again demanded our surrender. Cap- 
tain Aigan said he would not surrender until obliged to. The 
' Rebs' ' agent said, ' You are a brave fellow, but we know just your 
force, and you will lose all of your men if you hold out much longer.' 
Then they shook hands and parted again. Soon we were flriu"- at 
them again, little thinking tliat we should be under their control in a 
little while. But our ammunition would soon be exhausted and our 
telegraph wires were cut in all directions. Captain Aigan, Lieuten- 
ant Durfee and Chaplain White held a council to see what was best 
to do. They concluded to propose to surrender on conditions that the 
oflficers and men could retain all their private property. So up went 
a white flagon our little fort, and they agreed to our propositions, and 
about four o'clock in the afternoon, on the fifth day of May, 1864, a 
day that will never be forgotten by me, we marched out of our little 
fort, meek as lambs, and stacked arms. 

" Of course they ' gobbled up ' all of the government property tirst, 
and then got us into line as soon as possible. They allowed us to 
take all the eatables we could, and to fill our canteens, and then they 
hurried us away. We soon found out why they rushed us along so 
fast. They were ordered to Richmond as fast as they could go, and 
were about to leave us when we surrendered. Oh ! if we could 
have known it before, but it was too late ! Tiiat night they packed 
us into the block-house, about four miles from our camp, and ther,e 
we began to sew what money we had into our clothing, in case the 
' Rebs ' should search us. We feared they would do so when we 
changed hands, but they did not break tlieii- agreement in that re- 
spect. I think there were about seventy men of us shut up tiiere 
until about four o'clock in the morning, when they started us for 
Kinston, about forty miles distant, and the nearest railroad station 
that they held. The men that had us in charge were North Carolina 
troops, and many of them loyal if they had dared to be. When we 
rested along the sandy roads they were ready for conversation or 
trade. Just as we were falling in. after a short rest, General Deer- 



220 HISTORY OK THK 

ing, the officer in command, rode up with his staflf, He said to the 
officer who had charge of us, ' What have those Yankee officers got 
their side-arms for?' and he oi'dered them taken from them. 

" A^'^e arrived in Kinston about half past ten at night, completely 
tired out, and after a scanty meal we laid down on the cold ground 
for the night. The next morning we were placed in the county jail, 
where we had the privilege of looking through the bars of the wind- 
ows. The jail was anything but comfortable quarters — live stock in 
abundance — and we were told that we would have to wait until the 
troops had all gone through to Richmond, rolling stock being scarce. 
So we had the pleasure of seeing the different rebel regiments pass 
through, and we also recognized our little six-pounder when it went by, 
and we cheered it every time. This provoked the ' Rebs ' so mucli 
that they threatened to fire on us if we didn't keep quiet. 

"After five days they marched us out to the station. We were 
bound soutli, they said. We were packed in box cars, about as close 
as possible, with two guards inside of each car, and quite a number 
outside on top. By having tlie guards inside we could have the doors 
open so we could have some fresh air. The guards seemed to be 
good men. They would lie down with us and sleep at night, when 
the cars were in motion. The roads were so out of repair that they 
could not make more than six miles an hour, and if it could have 
been understood in all the cars of this train we could have taken 
possession of it as easy as it is to talk about it now. We could 
handle the guns of the guard anytime, and they didn't seem to care 
much about anything they were so completely tired of the war. It 
has always seemed strange to me why Captain Aigan could not see 
it also. He had the privilege of coming from one car to another as 
often as we came to a stop. We knew every inch of that country 
around Kinston, and we could have run that train back easy, for 
there were no troops in the town after we left it. 

" Our next stopping place was Wilmington, N. C, where we re- 
mained all night, and took breakfast, which consisted of a small 
piece of bacon, one egg, a small piece of corn bread and one cup of so 
called coffee, for ten dollars. They knew that each one of us had a 
little money, and they were bound to get it some way. The next 
place we stopped was Branchville, S. C, where we were used like 



FIFTH KUODK ISLAND HEAVV AIITI I.I.KKY. 



221 



anything but human beings, but we soon puslied jdong to Au.irustii, 
Ga., and here we began to feel as tliough we were piMSone-s indeed. 
We were hmded in the north part of the city and marched tiie wliole 
length of it to the south side to take the cars for Macon, Ga. We 
thought there must be a circus or caravan going through the town, 




Sylvester B. Hiscox, 

A SUIIVIVOK OF AXUEUSOXVILLK I'KLSON. 

(From n recent picture.) 

for oUl men and women, cliildren and darkies ran from every direc- 
tion to see the ' Yankees,' ' Bluebellies,' " Mudsills,' and every con- 
ceivable name they could tliink of. They began to abuse us in every 
way they could. 

" We there boarded another train, still bound south, and the ucxt 
day arrived at a place called Andersonville. It was a collection of a 



222 HISTOKV OF TIIK 

few huts. Here we were ordered out of the train and formed iti 
line. We marched half a mile when we saw a stockade in the dis- 
tance. Then we knew our destination. We were again formed in 
line and our names, company, regiment, etc., recorded. I should 
say here that Captain Aigan, Lieutenant Durfee, and Chaplain 
White came on this ' excursion ' with us. After our names had been 
taken we were marched through the gates of Andersonville prison. 
That was the last that we saw of our officers. We found out after- 
wards that they were going back to Macon. 

" Well, you cannot imagine how we felt then. You might have 
seen tears in our eyes, when we gazed upon such horrid looking be- 
ings as we saw before us. I can't tell you about it. Words are of 
no use. Our first thought was, have we got to stay in this pen, 
among these men, with no shelter but the heavens above us? And 
then they crowded around us, thousands of them, all clamoring and 
asking questions. Their one cry was^ ' Is there any possible chance 
of exchange?' Oh, those many thousands of American soldiers. 
I've got to a point now when it makes my blood boil when I think 
for a moment of the misery that was around us. But that story — 
it can never be told as we felt it — has been published over and over 
again since the war, and I've told it myself, hundreds of times per- 
haps, but even now I don't want to think of what we had to endure, 
nor think of the many thousands of brave men that laid their bones 
away near Andersonville prison — many of them, too, my own well 
tried and dear comrades. We were added to a prison battalion of 
270 men, divided into three companies of ninety men each, with u 
' Reb ' sergeant to each company to draw rations. It was not long 
before we men of Company A were scattered all over the prison. 

" You may imagine how thick men were in there when I tell you 
tliere were about thirty acres inside the stockade, and we were 
told that there were 37,000 prisoners in this pen. As a general thing 
the rations consisted of about one small pint of mush — we called it ; 
sometimes about two ounces of fat bacon, and occasionally a little 
rice or a few small, red beans, which we never could boil soft. There 
was but little wood, and that was green pine, so that we couldn't half 
cook what we got, and not half enough water, and that was so filthy 
that a beast wouldn't drink it, and no shelter from the hot sun for 



FIFTH HllODK ISLAM) IIKAVV AUTI I.I.KltY. ■223 

more than one-third of the men — and then the HUh, from all these 
men, that was inside the pen too — OIi, it's too sickenini-- to print. 
And so we suffered on in that way. All this time these men talked 
about four things and nothing else, getting exhanged, home, some- 
thing to eat, and getting away. 

" One afternoon, as the ' Rebs' were dealing out the rations, it was 
much as usual, a Rhode Island soldier sat down with us, Avhile eat- 
ing the scanty mess they gave us, he said : ' Boys, I used when I 
was at home to give my chickens just such food, but,' raising his 
head and arm heavenward, ' I ask pardon for all I ever gave them.' 
That was about the feeling among us all. 

" Strong hearts melted, like snow in the sun. For three months 
we managed to weather the privations, but during August and Sep- 
tember fifty-one of our company dropped away. After I had been 
in about three months I had gangrene sores come on my feet, so that 
I was not able to get around except by crawling on my hands aiul 
knees. So it deprived me of the privilege of going to the gates each 
morning to see if any of our men had died during the night, and re- 
port to those not able to get there. We could generally count, dur- 
ing the hot months, never less than one hundred and sometimes as 
high as one hundred and thirty deaths for the twenty-four hours. 
Then the army wagons would back up to the gate and they would 
throw the bodies in like so many swine. That was a heart-rending 
sight, — those half-naked, dirty bodies — covered with vermin, etc.. 
carted off but a little way, right in sight of our prison, and put in 
trenches with nothing but a narrow strip of head-board bearing only 
the number of the man on the prison list. 

" There was a great break planned. There were only about five 
thousand men in all to guard us, at that time, and we had about 
twenty thousand quite strong men, able and willing to go into the 
break and fight. One battalion of us was to tear u[) the railroad 
track and cut the wires ; one battalion was formed for each of tho 
four batteries that bore on us ; one battalion was to secure the guns 
and ammunition that was in store, and one was to look out for what 
provisions they could find. We had a map of the whole country, 
and were only about three hundred miles from the place where Sher- 
man \vas fighting, which we meant to reach before they could over- 



224 HISTOHY OF THE 

take us. Every morning at daybreak tlie ' Keb ' sergeants came 
in to have roll call, and the gates were opened to let them in. We 
were going to make the break at that time, when the gates were 
open. The day was set, and we were all ready the night before, 
but some worse than cowardly villain inside, informed on us — to 
Captain Wirtz. We could never find out who he was. Oh, but the 
'Rebs' were wild Avith excitement. All night long they were 
bringing troops from every direction and making their breastworks 
and batteries stronger than ever. When morning came they had 
five thousand extra troops there, and we were too discouraged to 
try it. Occasionally, that day, Captain Wirtz would send a shell or 
two over the prison as a sort of a reminder, and then we would hiss at 
them and call them anything but good names. 

" I haven't spoken of the raiders, as we called them. They were 
a gang of ruffians — Union prisoners, too, that would plunder, and 
even murder, their fellow prisoners. They got so bold and so dan- 
gerous that we organized a police force. This police arrested six 
of the worst of them, tried them by court-martial, found them 
guilty, and by permission of the ' Reb ' authorities, hanged them 
inside our prison pen. Although we knew that they had been 
guilty of many murders, it was a pitiful sight to see six such 
horrible looking creatures as all of us were then, hanging on the 
gallows. But it put a stop to all raiding after that. 

"About the 28th of August there was an order issued to take 
10,000 prisoners to Florence, 8. C, and I happened to be one 
of that number. It was new ground there, of course, but we had 
become so feeble from sickness and privation that we were even 
worse off, or what there was left of each one of us, than we were in 
Andersonville. And I have never seen one of Company A after I 
left Andersonville, and I was so reduced that I did not care to make 
a single new acquaintance, not even among the ' Rebs,' but waited 
patiently for release, which I knew must come some time. One 
hour we would hear all sorts of encouraging rumors, only to have 
them contradicted the next moment, and then we would think there 
was not a ray of hope for us. Men would get so full of despair that 
they would deliberately walk over the dead line, to be shot. I saw 
such instances several times. I must say that I think the surgeons 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTIEI.EUV. •_>25 

here were better men, and had more feeling for us; seemed more 
like doctors than at Andersonville. 

"All sorts of orders were posted up in tlie prison, by the ' Rcbs,' 
sucli as ' thirty days' furlough for each and every Yankee shot while 
crossing the dead line,' ' if any crowd collects it will be opened on 
with grape and canister.' Tunnelling out was in order all the time ; 
but most of those who got out were hunted down with bloodhounds, 
kept for the purpose, and brought back, and had to endure punish- 
ment of some kind. Once we were kept without rations for three 
days for refusing to let the ' Rebs ' know where the tunnel was, — 
so many were getting away at that time. 

'• The days dragged along in this way until towards December. 
At this time things began to look rather mixed for the ' Rebs.' 
They wanted to get their prisoners away out of that part of the 
country, or off their hands on the best terms they could get. So, 
then, one Sunday morning, there Avas an order that eight hundred 
of the sick should be paroled. It was all that they had cars to 
carry at one time. That is one of the mornings I shall never for- 
get. My name was the second one that was called to come forward 
and take the oath not to serve again until I was exchanged, and 
sign the papers. For four months I had not stood on my feet, but 
had crawled about on my hands and knees. I can never describe 
my feelings when I found myself outside of that stockade, and yet 
we did not realize ; could not make it seem true that we were going 
home. But we were soon put on board the train, and the first thing I 
asked was, if any of the Fifth Rhode Island boys were there, but I 
could not hear of one. So I came to the conclusion that they must 
all be dead. 

"The 'Rebs 'gave us the best meal the day we left Florence 
that we had had in many months. We rode along very quietly 
until we got within about four miles — it seemed to me — of Savan- 
nah, when we could hear firing, not a great way off, and we were 
told tliat Sherman's army would soon be in ; and Ave thought so, for 
when we got in the city all Avas in an uproar. They soon put us 
aboard a small steamer and took us down the river as fast as possible. 
It took but a little time to reach our fleet, Avhere Ave Avere turned ovei- 
to the officers AA'aiting to receive us. It Avas a hospital boat, and 
15 



226 HISTORY OF THE 

they had everything ready for us. What a change it was to be 
among friends, — to be /ree, under the dear okl flag again. Sick as 
we were we sang the good old Union songs all that day. And then 
the smell of the good old government coffee, and enough for all of 
lis to eat and to spare. Our surgeon was afraid they would kill us 
with kindness. It was not long before the dirty rags that we had on 
when we came aboard, and called clothing, was floating down the 
Savannah River. The steamer soon started for Annapolis, Md., 
and when we were settled in our clean and comfortable beds at 
night, we began to fully realize that we were released from our 
prison. 

" We reached Annapolis the next Sunday morning, and were sent 
to a general hospital, and were informed that we could be hurt with 
kindness, for our sickness was such that everything that we eat 
seemed to disagree with us. As soon as we were able to travel we 
received a furlough to go home. During the journey home we were 
helped in every way, and lots of money was given us — -because we 
looked so bad — for we were nothing but skeletons moving slowly 
about. Well, I arrived home Jan. 5, 1865, and there I remained 
for many months before I could walk without crutches. While at 
home Charles F. Chase was released from prison. He came to see 
me, he belonged in the same town, and was a dear comrade. And 
I thought that if I could have come out of that pen looking as well 
as he appeared to then I would have given all the world. But in a 
fortnight he was dead. 

" I do not think there are many of the dear old company left now 
to tell the sad tale. I can recall but two, Lieutenant Durfee and 
Peter Melville, both in Newport. This is only a short talk about 
our experience. As I said before, no one can know all the story of 
the Southern prison pens, unless, under the providence of God, they 
were enabled to survive, as I did, those long months of sickness, 
starvation, and despair." 

" I suppose you know about Captain Aigan's escape, If you do 
not I will tell you what he told me as well as I can now recollect it. 
He got away four times and was retaken each time. He got out 
through a tunnel at Macon, and the fourth time he nearly reached 
Sherman's lines. There was one incident I must tell you. In the 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTILI.ERY. 2-' 7 

first part of the winter of '64 there were many ' Reb ' officers on leave 
at Macon, and they would go in to see our officers who were prisoners. 
One day some of them came in at roll-call, and a group was stundino- 
near the company that the captain was in. When his name was 
called he noticed that some of them commenced talking, and he won- 
dered what it meant. Soon the ' Reb ' sergeant came and said he 
Avas wanted outside. There he was confronted by a Rebel colonel, 
who said : ' Well, John, how do you like to be in the Yankee 
army?' The captain replied, ' Very well, colonel.' Then he said. 
'John, what made you desert from my regiment in Texas? ' Cap- 
tain Aigan said, ' Colonel, I guess you are mistaken in your man.' 
But the rebel flew into a rage and said he had his descriptive list 
with him, and he pulled it out and read it right there, and asked the 
captain if he knew the penalty of desertion. The captain replied, 
' Colonel, I guess you must have my company's papers to get that.' 
And he could not convince the colonel that he was not the deserter 
from his regiment. So he was sent back into the pen feeling that 
there was but little hope for him. He was broken down, for the 
first time, I think, for he was always of good courage from the first 
of my acquaintance with him, and I believe even to this day that he 
died from the injuries and exposure of his prison life. But to go 
back. Later in the day he was told that they had decided that he 
was not the man they thought he was, for this reason : One of the 
officers who heard the talk between the ' Reb ' colonel and Captain 
Aigan, turned to the colonel after the captain had been taken back 
to the prison and said, ' Colonel, I believe you are mistaken, myself. 
Did you ever in your life hear a Texan soldier say / guess ? ' 
' Never,' said the colonel. So you see that one word probably 
saved Captain Aigan's life. 

'' Well, it was in February, about the middle of it, if I remember, 
when the captain made his last break. There were five of them. 
They were soon retaken, and at night a guard was placed over them 
in a field. The officers told him they would fix him that time. But 
the prisoners did not mean to be taken back if they could help it. So 
they pretended to go to sleep and watched, for what they felt that was 
their last chance. Soon all of the ' Reb ' guard was asleep but the one 
on post. They managed to seize him, choking him so that he could 



228 HISTOKY OF THE 

iiot make any noise, led him silently to a wood where they gagged 
and left him. They went some miles and finally met an old darkey 
and told him their story. He took them back of his barn where he 
brought a table and had them creep under it. Then he covered them 
up, table and all with manure. They had a fork handle with them 
which they used to keep a hole open to get fresh air. They heard 
what evidently were soldiers inquiring for them. The old negro 
would not let them out until the next night, by which time they were 
nearly sulFocated with the heat of their cramped up hiding-place. 
The old negro put tar and red pepper on their feet so that the hounds 
could not trail them, and sent them to another negro some miles 
away. Finally they reached General Sherman's army, then on its 
Avav north tliroush Soutli Carolina." 



Captain John Aigan's Rkpokt. 

Pawtucket, R. I., April 20, 1865. 

General: I have the honor to submit to you the names of the men 
of my company who have died since we were caj^tured by the enemy at 
Croatan, X. C, May 5, 1864. I have only a few correct dates, but I have 
given them as near as I could ascertain. I also give the names of some 
whom I presume are dead, but of whom I cannot give anj'^ correct infor- 
mation. 
I have the honor to be, General, your obedient servant, 

John Aigan, 
Captain Co. A, Uh R. I. Artillery. 
To Bi:ig.-Gen. E. C. Mauran, 

Adjutant General, Bhode Island. 

1. Sergeant Michael Kennedy, died in Charleston, S. C, Oct. 4,1864. 

2. " Thomas Hanly, " Anderson ville, Ga., Sept., " 

1. Corporal W. H. Lillibridge. " " Aug., 

2. " Charles A. Slocum, " " " 

3. " Edward O. Colvin, " " 

4. " Michael Riley, " Charleston, S. C, Sept., " 

1. Musician John Livingstone, " Anderson ville, Ga., " " 

2. " Daniel F. Hawkins, " " " " 

1. Private John Goudy, " " June 7, " 

2. " Andrew J. Johnson, " " August, " 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLKKY. 229 

3. Private William Wallace, died in Aiidersouvillo, Ga., An.uiist, 1S64. 

4. •' Edward Lewis, " " •' '« 

5. •' George L. Doolittle, '• •' July " 
0. •■ Frederick Bane, " " Aui>ust, " 

7. " John Hempstead, '* " •Inly, " 

8. " William Garvey, " " " •' 

9. " James Doyle, " " ■' " 

10. " Charles S. Sisson, " " Au<>-. IS, " 

11. •' Henry Seymour, " " August, " 

12. " Jerry Sullivan, " " •' " 

13. " Thomas Collins, " " July, " 

14. " Cornelius Lee, *' " August, " 

15. '' Charles Sanders, " " " " 

16. " Arthur Fee, " " July, " 

17. " Jerry Wilson, " ' " " 

18. " James M. Eddy " after being paroled. 

19. " Charles F. Chase, " in Warren. R. L, Jan. 19, 1S05. 

20. " George Montgomery, shot while attempting to escape. 

21. " Amos Eaton, died in Andersonville, Ga., August. 1S(;4. 

22. " Dennis G. Ballon, died in Charleston, S.C., about Oct. 8. " 

23. " John Hanley, " Florence, S. C, September, " 

24. " Cornelius Keleghan " Andersonville, Ga., August. '' 

25. " John Thomas, " " *' " 

Supposed to be Dead, as I Caxnot Learn Axything (;ei!tain 
About Them — Sergt. Samuel R. Eddy, Corp. Franklin Wiciks. Privates 
Stephen Wicks, James Brady, and William H. Vallet, Jr. 

Recapitulation — Dead — Sergeants, 2 ; corporals, 4 ; musicians, 2 ; 
privates, 25; total, 33. 

Missing, supposed to be Dead — Sergeants,!; corporals, 2; ]irivates, 
3; total, 6. 

With the Regiment — Privates, 5. 

XoT Heard from, but supposed to be Living — Privates, 5. 

At Home Sick— Privates, 2; total, 12; aggregate, 51. 

Not heard from, supposed to be Living and with tiik RKtaMicNT — 
Privates, Franklin Smith, Benjamin Bentley, Fiank S. Clark, James 
Matthews, Charles Delaney, George O. Brown, James Lawrence, Edward 
McQuade, David H. Willard, John Conly. 

At Home Sick— Private Sylvester B. Hiscox and Peter D. Melville. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



YELLOW FEVER IN NEW BERNE. 
Companip:s I) and I at Roanokk Island. 

THE several companies of the regiment had been so long sep- 
arated from each other that the sense of unity, the shoulder to 
shoulder feeling in the organization as a whole, outside of reg- 
imental headquarters, had worn away to a great degree. Hence the 
capture of Company A was not so keenly felt, did not cause such a 
feeling of loss, as it would under other circumstances. In addition 
to the present fragmentary situation of the Fifth, another cause 
detrimental to its best welfare existed, and in such a shape that it 
could only be borne, not removed, by the officers and men. We had 
lost Plymouth, and had evacuated Washington. Roanoke Island, 
Hattei'as Inlet, and the district of New Berne comprised our posses- 
sions in North Carolina in May, 1864, while the navy watched the 
mouth of the Roanoke for the expected appearance of the Albemarle 
witli a feeling that was not one of exultation. Every available man 
in North Carolina, whether Union or Confederate, was being drawn 
with resistless force into the vortex of that maelstrom of war that 
surged through the wilderness of Virginia and around Richmond, 
on the James. The outlook for the Fifth was not very pleasant at 
this time. A long and sickly summer Avas to be passed, in one or 
two company garrison posts. The trials it was to undergo tested the 
real heroism of officers and men quite as much as the dangers of an 
active campaign, and that, too, without any of the rewards that 
come to men who win the commendations of tlieir commanding 
officers by service in the field. 

The following play-bill may be of interest to our readers, sliowing 
how the soldiers in New Berne amused themselves in those days. 
Corp. Robert H. White, of the Fifth, was one of the principal per- 
formers, and with his permission a fac-simile of the bill is herewith 
presented : 



ON RAILROAD ST., BETWEEN JOHNSON AND NEW STS. 



jyjKW BERIME M1I1STR 1j:L.I>!$ / / 

A. J. MAK.STON, 7Z^~ .MTlaiia^ii;: 

PHILIP S. HATCH Musical lyUuJt,,,-. 

B. W. EDWARDS, .TreHs,.,«r. 

Monday Evening, May 2d, 1864. 

Regular Performances on MONDAY, WEDNESDAY and SATURDAY. 
Doors open at 6 1-2 P.M. Curtain rises at 7 o'clock, precisely. 
Performance concludes at 15 minutes before 9 o'clock, giving'ample time to 
all parties to return to their quarters before special /M.v.s'A'Xarereiuiired. 

CHANGE OF PROGRAMME EVERY EVENING. 
N. B.— Owing to the great length of Programme, and necessity for earl}' 
closing, it is hoped no repetition of any of the several acts will be requested. 

PART I . 
Representing the Dandy Negroes of the North. 

1 Grand Instrumental Overture, ------- Full Band 

2 Opening Chorus, "Happy are We," . - - . . Company 

3 Me and Eliza, -....---... Marston 

4 Let me Kiss him for his Mother, White 

6 Soap-fat Man, ---.-..-.- McDerniott 

6 Revolution Echoes, -----.--.. Gray 

7 I>aiinigan's Ball, ---.---..- Marston 

8 Near the Banks of that Lone River, ...--- White 

9 Finale, - - Medley, - - New Berne Minstrels 

PART II. 

Portraying the Peculiar Characteristics of the Southern Darkey. 

10 Heel and Toe-ology, . . . . . . Andy Kane 

11 Flutina Solo Selections, ..... Hatch 

12 Essence ob ole Virginny, ..... McDermott 

13 Comic Banjo Solo, ....... (Jray 

14 Banjo Duett, ...... Marston and Gray 

! Othello ! 

(BURLESQUE) 

Oh ! tell-er . Billy Boyce 

Deres-de-money . Frank McDermott 

^ PA R T III. 

16 Guitar Solo Seymour 

Boss "Good" Marston 

Simpson, McDermott 

Ben Boyce 

18 Ballad "Happy be thy dreams," \\ hitc 

The whole to conclude with OLE DAN EMMETT'S 

Greatest Plantation Scene and Holiday Festival, WALK A HOUND 

Hi^h Daddy. 

Characte rs embracing the full strength of the Company . 

Adjnission. 

PARQUETTE AND DRESS CIRCLE 50 CENTS. 

UPPER CIRCLE, , ■ • ioCENlS. 

Front seats invariably reserved lor Ladies and Gentlemen accompanying thmi. 
TICKETS for sale at BEER S' Bookstore, on Pollock st. near Craven. 

PRINTED AT THt: NOIM H CAItorTNA TIMKS OFFICE. 



232 IIISTOUY OF THE 

The first days of May found Major Jameson fully engrossed with 
his duties in recruiting his regiment of colored troops. Assistant 
Surgeon Greene returned from a leave of absence May 5th. He 
was at once detailed to attend the sick of the major's recruits. This 
was in addition to his other duties. Surgeon Potter was still exam- 
ining surgeon of recruits for the district of North Carolina. At 
this time many of the men felt that they had a serious grievance. 
Of the men who formed the old battalion there remained only one 
hundred and eighty-seven who were eligible to re-enlist under the 
provisions of the war department for such enlistments. During the 
winter one hundred and fifteen of these veterans re-enlisted. One 
of the principal conditions was that each man so enlisting should 
receive a fui'lough for thirty days. Tlie furloughs had not yet been 
granted for one reason or another. This delay, valid enough at 
headquarters, caused a strong feeling among the men that they were 
being singled out for the purpose of indirect punishment. 

On the afternoon of May 21st, Colonel Sisson, accompanied by his 
wife, left New Berne for Rhode Island on a long leave of absence. 
At this time there was a general change in the stations of the 
various companies of the regiment. Those companies in the forts 
between the Neuse and the Trent were relieved by five companies 
of the Second Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, and assigned as 
follows : Two companies to Fort Anderson and one to Fort Chase, 
on the north shore of the Neuse ; two companies to Fort Amory, 
one to Fort Gaston, and one to Fort Spinola, south of the Trent. 
At this time Company A was in Andersonville, and companies D 
and I at Roanoke Island. June 1st, Company K, Captain De 
Meulen, went to Roanoke Island and relieved Company I, Captain 
Taft. On the island. Company D, Captain Moran, went to Fort 
Parke, and Captain De Meulen went to Fort Foster. These 
changes also caused a change of the headquarters of the regiment 
from Fort Totten to a house in Craven Street in the city. In conse- 
quence of these changes Surgeon Potter attended sick calls at Forts 
Anderson and Chase, while Assistant Surgeon Greene had charge 
of the sick in the forts south of tlie Trent. 

And now the lethargy of garrison life, in a sickly, southern cli- 
mate, fell upon officers and men. For the Fifth there was not even 



FIFTH KlIODE ISLAND UKAVV AIITIIJ.FIIV 



233 



the cliange and excitement of duty on the outposts and picket line. 
The re-enlisted men wondered and grumbled about their furlouf^hs ; 
those who could have re-enlisted but did not counted the days that 
must pass before they would be mustered out ; while tlie men who 
joined as recruits discussed army regulations and acts of Con<^ress 




Lieut. John B. Landers. 

over the question as to whether they would be mustered out with the 
regiment, or must serve three years from the date of their muster in. 
June 3d we were startled by a terrible explosion in the direction 
of Batchelder's Creek. We soon learned that while a fatigue party 
of the One Hundred and Thirty-second New York Volunteers were 
unloading a monster torpedo at the reserve picket station, on the 



234 HISTORY Ol" THE 

railroad, it was exploded in some unknowu manner and some forty 
men killed. In this explosion, a colored boy, Tobe, who had been 
a follower of our regiment for two years, lost his life. He was a 
simple, kind-hearted fellow, blind in one eye, who, when asked in 
the morning how he felt, would always rub his hands together and 
say, " Fust rate, sah, fust rate ; 'tween de sap and de bark." 

Sunday morning, August 14th, two men of the Fifth Rhode 
Island, with four others, were executed for the crime of desertion. 
The account here given appeared in a New Berne paper : 

"As the assembly again sounded the troops forming in the usual 
square on the plain in front of Fort Totten, together with six newly- 
made graves yawning for their occupants, indicated that martial law 
was again to be vindicated. At six o'clock the procession issued from 
the sally-port of the fort, under charge of Major Lawson. At a slow 
march the prisoners with their escort and coffins passed to the inside 
of the square, and marched around the area. The coffins, six in num- 
ber, were placed in order in front of the graves and the doomed men 
seated thereon. Their names were as follows: Private John Dailey, 
alias John Duffy, Company C, Fifth Rhode Island Volunteers, desertion; 
private James Simmons, Company C, Fifth Rhode Island Volunteers, 
desertion; private Robert E. Duncan, Company H, Ninty-ninth New 
York Volunteers, advising desertion; privates Robert Clark, Joseph 
Collins and George Berry, Company E, Sixteenth Connecticut Volun- 
teers, desertion. The charges and findings of the court-martial were 
read, their eyes were bandaged, the parting word spoken, and the order 
given to fire. They met their fate coolly. Evidences of regret were 
painfully conscious in two instances. Life was not extinct in two or 
three cases, and it became necessary for the reserves to put an end to 
the existence of the unfortunate wretches by discharging their pieces 
into their bodies." 

All of these men wei-e "bounty jumpers" of the Avorst type. 
One of the men belonging to Company C, during his trial claimed 
to be a British subject, and it was thought that the department 
commander rather hurried his execution, so that the death of the 
rascal would put an end to the case and his worthless career at 
the same time. 

The summer passed slowly and monotonously enough. The one 
desire of all grades of soldiers, and all classes of civilians seemed to 
be to get away from New Berne during the heated term. At last 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HKAA' AIMII.LKRV. 235 

the veterans received notice that their nnicli promised furlouiihs 
would soon be granted. As a partial recompense for tlie long delay 
the time was extended from thirty to forty days. On the 13th of 
September the furloughs came with orders to take the boat sailing 
for New York the next day. Lieutenant-Colonel Tew, Captain 
Robinson, Adjutant Gladding, Lieutenant Landers and Quarter- 
master Lawton were to go with them. Hospital Steward Burliu- 
game had a furlough for thirty days and went along with the vet- 
erans. The officers, however, not wishing to brave tlie discomforts 
of the outside passage around Cape Hatteras, took the inside route 
by the way of Norfolk. The men reached New Yoi-k on tlie morn- 
ing of the 18th, where the boat was boarded by a healtli officer. 
At length she was permitted to pass quarantine and run up to the 
city. It was the last boat from New Berne that passed quarantine 
for many months. During the day transportation was secured and 
they were able to leave for Rhode Island the same niglit. These 
men were destined to remain at home for many weeks, for a foe 
more destructive than Hill's and Pickett's rebel hosts was already 
witliin the gates of New Berne. 

A press dispatch of September 10th said that the report that 
yellow fever existed in New Berne was incorrect ; that the sudden 
change in the weather had developed congestive chills, which was 
the origin of the report ; and that Doctor Doughty, the post surgeon, 
was very successful in the treatment of this disease. On the 18th, 
Surgeon Potter wrote : " There is a good deal of sickness in New 
Berne just now f cases of congestive fever, and 7 flunk, yellow 
fever. I have as yet seen none of the latter and may be mistake;). 
But I am afraid it is ; and if it is, we shall have a hard time here. 
P^very case that has been attacked, thus far, has died, and most of 
them within twenty-four hours. The disease seems to be confined 
to a narrow strip through the town, and embraces the machine shop, 
hospitals, jail, navy-yard, and in fact the whole business part of the 
place. No soldier has been attacked in camp or in town excejjt in 
that district. Two officers have died, one of them Lieutenant Jolm- 
son, chief of the ambulance corps. I am inclined to think it will 
not spread out of the town, but of course there is notliing cortani 
about it." 



236 HISTORY OF THE 

Another press despatch from New Berne, September 22d, says : 
" The sudden appearance of congestive chills and bilious fever in 
New Berne has driven all transient persons out of the department, 
including many established business men, who supposed they were 
flying from yellow fever. Through the skill and untiring labor of the 
surgeons a material abatement of the epidemic has been effected." 

September 26th we find this grim record : " Most of the Northern- 
ers who can get avvay have left, especially the recruiting agents." 
At this time the situation was terrible enough to appall even the most 
stout-hearted. A feeling of apathy seemed to fall upon every one. It 
even extended to the men on the outposts, for they knew that New 
Berne was safe from any rebel attack while this fearful scourge was 
doing deadlier work than any human foe could do. Again a provi- 
dence seemed to guard the lucky Fifth. The fever did not spread 
into the camps and forts around the city, nor did a single case origi- 
nate on the north side of the Neuse. Fortunately, too, there were 
but few of our men on detail in the city or sick in the general hospi- 
tals. Again we quote from Surgeon Potter, of tlie date of October 
3d, from Fort Andei-son : 

"The fever here does not abate yet, although the impression 
among the surgeons seems to be that the cases are not so severe as 
they were at first, and are more amenable to treatment. I have had two 
cases, Lieutenant-Colonel Stone, of the Third New York Artillery, 
who was in command on this side of the Neuse. He contracted the 
disease in town and came here witli it, and died yesterday morning ; 
and also Lieut. George F. Turner, of the Fifth, who was detailed as 
superintendent of the police in New Berne. He contracted the dis- 
ease while in the line of his duty, wliich was superintending the 
force cleaning up the filth in the city, which was causing the conta- 
gion. He is now sick with it in the city. I remember the day he 
received the order detailing him for that duty. I came over from the 
city, and he asked me into his tent and showed me the order. I 
said, 'This is pretty rough, what are you going to do about it?' 
' Do,' said he, ' go. Of course I never shall come out of it alive, 
but I came out to die for my country, if need be, though I expected 
it would be in battle, or somewhei'e but in filth. ' Well,' he contin- 
ued, ' it may as well be me as abetter man.' The disease does not 



FIFTH UHOUK ISl.ANU UKAVV AUTILLKUV. 



2.3; 



appear in the camps unless brought from the town, and does not 
spread there, showuig that a poisoned air is needed to make it eonta"-- 
ions. 

" Sunday, October 9th. I wrote in my last that Lieutenant Tur- 
ner was sick with the fever. He died Thursday noon, October 6th. 
He had the ' two o'clock in the morning courage,' and showed himself 




p^^S?§JSS^\5m\\^'^;5SS^^^ 



Lieut. George F. Turner. 



a hero even more than he who leads the forlorn hope or fires a mine 
with a quick match. We have also lost ten enlisted men, who were 
in general hospital or detailed in the city. 

Monday, October 10th. We had a fine frost last niglit, and now 
we think ' yellow jack ' must go." 

The following sketch of Lieutenant Turner was written by his sis- 
ter. We deem it worthv of insertion here : 



238 history of the 

Sketch of Lieut. George F. Tuhner. 

Doctor James V. Turner, the father of Lieutenant Turner, was the son 
of Doctor Peter Turner, of East Greenwich, R. L, a surgeon in the Kevo- 
hitionarj' army, and the grandson of Doctor William Turner, a native of 
Newport, R. I., who settled in Newark, N. J. 

In the year 1815 he (L e., Dr. James V. Turner,) married Catherine Ray 
Greene, daughter of Hon. Ray Greene, of Warwick, and granddaughter 
of William Greene, governor of Rhode Island during the Revolution. 

George Flagg Turner was the second son and fifth child of this family, 
and was born on the 26tli of March, 1824, at the homestead of his mater- 
nal ancestors, a lovely country place, around which cluster many inter- 
esting historical associations. 

In the year 182S Dr. Turner removed with his family to Portsmouth, 
on Rhode Island, where they remained for five years. In this retired 
spot they were thrown very much on their own resources, and reading, 
music, drawing and domestic games were the principal recreations of 
the children during the long, quiet winter, occasionally diversified by 
evening lessons in dancing, in which the father would act both as teacher 
and musician. 

Lieutenant Tvirner's early instructor was Mr. John J. Payne, one of the 
teachers so delightfully described in Snoio Bound, who spent a portion of 
the time in each family, thus carrying freshness and refinement into 
the country home. Mr. Payne, though sufficiently strict in his school, 
dealt much more in rewards than in punishments, and his prizes, of 
which George always gained a large share, were his own paintings, lit- 
tle pictures in water colors, of no great merit in themselves, but which 
probably had great influence in developing the aesthetic tendency in 
Lieutenant Turner's character. 

His main defect in childhood was a high and almost ungovernable 
temper, but through careful training and conscientious effort it became so 
subdued that in later life he was often characterized as too gentle and 
yielding. His disposition was generous and self-forgetful, and he was 
incapable of a mean action. 

In 1833 the family removed to Newport, and Mr. Payne going at the 
same time, the children continued at his school, until, in 1835, his health 
gave way, and the older ones were placed under the tuition of Sir. Har- 
per, an Englishman, a thorough scholar and an experienced teacher. 
Here George made rapid progress until an injury, received in 1837, obliged 
him to leave school, and kei>t him confined to his room for a year, during 
which he assiduously cultivated the taste for di-awing which had always 
distinguished him. 

On his recovery he again attended school for a few years, and became 
a proficient in the languages, which he acquired with facility, and which 
opened new fields for the play of thought and fancy he loved to indulge. 



FIFTH RHODK ISLAND IIKAVY AKTII.UCHY. 239 

This habit of reverie, though it <<;a.ve liim rather a dreamy, abstracted 
expression, did not prevent his taking- great interest in the politics of 
the country, of which he ever kept himself well informed. 

Descended from the early Pilgrims, and trained in the strong tenets 
which have made ^ew England what it is, the sacrifice of setf for the 
common good was taught as a cardinal virtue. Accordingly, when the 
Dorr rebellion arose in our little State, Geoi'ge, then eighteen years old, 
and engaged in teaching a school in the city, came home with a pale, de- 
termined face, and announced his intention of going with the volunteers 
from Newport to assist in suppressing it. Tears and entreaties were of 
no avail, and he took his share of the toils and annoyances of the expe- 
dition to Chepachet, which resulted, however, in a bloodless victory. 

After a few years spent in cultivating his talent for drawing, lie made 
it his chosen profession, and continued the practice of it in the city of 
New York until the serpent of secession uncoiled its folds. Then, like 
myriads of others of our brave young men, he threw aside the pursuits 
of peace, until this serpent should be crushed, and the cause of truth 
and freedom vindicated. Anxious to place himself under the banner of 
his native state, he hastened to Newport, where he assisted in recruiting 
a company for the Second Rhode Islaad Regiment. Failing to receive a 
commission in this, and meeting a series of fair promises and disappoint- 
ments which would have dampened the ardor of a man less determined, 
he returned to New York, and was on the point of joining a regiment 
there when he was recalled to assist in recruiting a company for the 
Fifth Rhode Island Regiment. 

Here he received the commission of first lieutenant, but finding the 
officer next him dissatisfied, he willingly exchanged commissions, suffici- 
ently happy if he were only allowed an active share in the cause next 
his heart. 

The regiment was stationed at New Berne, under the command of Col. 
Henry T. Sisson. Lieutenant Turner shared the perils of the expedition 
up the Pamlico River to Little Washington for the relief of General Fos- 
ter, the most distinguished service in which his regiment was engaged. 
His company (H) with four others, occupied Rodman's Point Battery 
until the return of General Foster, who had gone immediately to New 
Berne. 

At the age of thirty-six he had married Miss Caroline A. Stevens, of 
Newport, who survived him. The only child, whom he had never seen 
died in the summer of 1863, aged four months. Her father was at this 
time on his way north, ordered to New Haven on recruiting service, 
happy in anticipation of at length beholding her. 

He was at one time detailed as designer to beautify the grounds about 
the general's headquarters, a task most congenial to his tastes and hab- 
its. But, alas! a far diffent task awaited him. 



240 HISTORY OF THE 

When the yellow fever appeared in New Berne, in the autumn of 1864, 
he, having been promoted to the first-lieutenancy, was stationed with his 
company at Fort Chase, in a perfectly healthy localitJ^ But an effici- 
ent officer being required as insjiector of the streets of Xew Berne, he 
was ordered to that most disagreeable duty. A style of courage far su- 
perior to the blind impulse which rushes into the excitement of battle 
was needed for this, and he was the man for it; and he was accustomed 
to say that the true courage was the intelligent conquest of fear. 

After a faithful discharge of his duties as insi^ector for one week, he 
was taken sick with the fever, to which he fell a victim on the sixth of 
October, 1864. The general order for his funeral gives so just an appre- 
ciation of his character that I am happy to be able to quote from it here: 

" The lieutenant-colonel commanding takes this opportunity to testify 
to the worth of Lieutenant Turner as an officer and a gentleman. A sim- 
ple reference to his character is the most fitting eulogy that can be be- 
stowed on our deceased fellow officer. Simple and unostentatious in his 
manners, genial and pleasant in his intercourse Avith all, honest and in- 
genuous in his dealings, just, generous, and brave, imbued with a patri- 
otic spirit and possessing an intelligent and cultivated mind, he combined 
in an eminent degree intellectual qualities of sterling worth with some 
of the highest traits of character, securing him the respect of all who 
knew him. Regretting the untimely death of our comrade, let us cher- 
ish his memory and emulate his virtues, while we devote ourselves with 
renewed energy to the cause in which he died. 

•'By order of Lieut.-Col. George W. Tew, CoininamUng the Eeghnent. 

"E. F. AxGELL, First Lieutenant and Actimj Adjiitant.^' 

His remains, after a tew months, were brought home for reinterment, 
and in considerations of scruples of the city authorities in regard to the 
disease of which he died, they were followed to the grave only by his 
own family, in the dead of night through the quiet streets, amid a 
drenching rain, the deep voice of his beloved pastor most solemnly pro- 
nouncing the last sad rites over the jiatriot's grave. 

About this time we learned that Col. Henry T. Sissou had been 
honorably discharged from the service at his own i-equest, on the 
ground of ill health, Oct. 5, 1864. 

Colonel Sisson, after distinguished service with the Fifth, w^as 
honorably discharged the service on account of disability, Oct. 5, 
1864. From 1875 to 1877 he was Lieutenant-Governor of Rhode 
He now resides at Seaconnet Point, Little Compton, Rhode Island, 
where he enjoys the confidence and respect of his townsmen and all 
his old comrades of the war. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTILLKKY. 241 

October 28th. The fever is all gone except a few old eases that 
are slowly recovering ; no new cases for the past week. 

A press dispatch of October 27th, states that the fever originated 
from a slip at the foot of Craven Street, which had been filled np by- 
Captain Bradley, provost marshal in New Berne, with manure and 
barrels of rotten beef. The number of deaths did not exceed two 
thousand, principally among citizens and refugees. Of a total num- 
ber of thirteen army surgeons in New Berne eight died of the fever. 
Among the survivors were Surgeon Potter and Assistant Surgeon 
Greene, of the Fifth Rhode Island. During the prevalence of fever 
regimental headquarters were moved to Fort Spinola, and again 
transferred to New Berne when the epidemic abated. 

It is now time to turn our attention to companies D and I, on 
Roanoke Island. Here the routine of garrison duty hung with a dull 
weight upon both officers and men. Company D at Fort Parke oc- 
casionally found a little excitement in firing a shot across the bows 
of some vessel, bound up the sound, that would attempt to run by 
without reporting to the commanding officer on the island. At times 
a raid would be made along " the banks," or among the creeks and 
bays of the mainland, to collect the small boats that might be used in 
smuggling medicines, etc., in a small way, into the Confederacy. 
The re-enlisted veterans of the various detachments on the island re- 
ceived their furloughs during the latter part of September. While 
they were absent First Lieut. Walter H. Luther was detailed to com- 
mand a detachment of the One Hundred and Third Pennsylvania Vol- 
unteers, while Lieutenant-Colonel Clark, of that regiment, was ab- 
sent with the veterans. October 4th the enemy made a boat rrfid 
along the shore of the mainland and burned the light-house at the 
head of Croatan Sound, some four miles from Roanoke Island, carry- 
ing away the keeper and his family. 

About October 24th, Lieutenant Cushing, of the navy, called at the 
island, on his Avay up from Hatteras Inlet to the Roanoke River. He 
was in a small torpedo steam launch, with which he was going to at- 
tempt the destruction of the rebel ram Albemarle, then lying at Ply- 
mouth. This be succeeded in doing October 27th, exhibiting a per- 
sistency and daring that has made his name historical. Monotony 
again resumed sway until the time came for the men to forward their 
16 



242 FIFTH KHOUE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 

ballots for President, when this furnished a mild excitement. About 
this time our forces recaptured Plymouth. When the news of the re- 
election of President Lincoln was received at Roanoke Island, the 
officers stationed on the island, leading citizens and troops deter- 
mined to express their joy over the result of the election by a celebra- 
tion on Thanksgiving day. Captain Moran w^as sent to New Berne, 
where he succeeded in procuring the services of the fine band of the 
Second Massachusetts Heavy Artillery for the occasion. A large 
building, once used as a storehouse, was converted into a ball and 
supper room, and everybody from all the islands and country around 
was made welcome. Not until the light of the succeeding day 
dimmed the lamps and candles did their festivities cease. Neither 
before nor since then has Roanoke Island been the scene of so large 
and enthusiastic a celebration of that New England day. 

Soon after Thanksgiving Chaplain "White visited companies D aud 
I, and entertained the men with graphic descriptions of the fight of 
Company A at Croatan Station, and his adventures while a prisoner 
in the hands of the rebel Philistines. On the 6th of December a bat- 
talion of three companies commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Clark, of 
the Eighty-fifth New York, was sent from Roanoke Island to Ply- 
mouth. One of these companies, composed of men from Com- 
pany D, and some men from the One Hundred and First Penn- 
sylvania, was under the command of Captain Moran. They joined a 
" picked-up " brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Wilde, at 
Plymouth, the same day. The next day the command commenced its 
march to find the enemy, and, on the second day out, encountered a 
small force, with whom they had a running skirmish for some miles. 
For some days the column moved about from one place to another in 
the Roanoke country, just as the enemy were reported here, or there, 
visiting Hamilton in the meantime. This place recalled many inci- 
dents of their former visit, to the men of Company D. After wandering 
around more than a week searching for an elusive foe, the command 
mai'ched "down the hill again" to Plymouth, having picked up a 
few stragglers. From this place the various detachments returned 
to their several commands. 

Then followed the muster out of the officers and men of the old 
battalion organization whose term of service had expired. 



CHAPTER XV. 



CLOSING opp:rations of the war around 

NEW BERNE. 

WE now approach the closing scenes of the existence of the 
Fifth Rhode Island as a military organization. From 
this time on the fortunes of war made its position (hat of 
a spectator rather than that of an active participant in the final 
operations attending the complete suppression of the rebellion. As 
spectators, then, we saw, during the first half of November, 1804, 
this general situation of affairs. In the west General Sherman was 
leaving Atlanta for the sea, while the rebel general. Hood, was 
entering upon his desperate campaign that ended in overwhelming 
defeat at Nashville. In the east, Sheridan had finished his dashing 
and victorious campaign in the valley of Virginia, and the rebel 
army in that section had practically ceased to exist. At Petersburg 
and Richmond the tenacious and tireless Grant confronted the great- 
est general and strongest army of the Confederacy in their formidable 
line of forts and entrenchments. In New Berne, the first frosts of 
autumn had come, bringing promise of release from the epidemic 
that had raged with such deadly effect. 

At this time the situation of the Fifth, as noticed in the preceding 
chapters, remained unchanged. Three companies were on the north 
side of the Neuse, four were in the forts on the south side of the 
Trent, and two were on Roanoke Island, while most of Company A 
were filling unknown graves at Anderson ville and Florence. During 
the prevalence of the yellow fever no officers or soldiers, outside of 
the medical department, were allowed to enter New Berne. All 



244 HISTOKY OF THE 

who were absent had been directed to remain at their homes until 
oi'dered to report by the proper authorities, for the medical otRcers 
had deemed it best that those men who had not been exposed to the 
contagion should not return until the cold weather had set in and all 
danger had passed. It was not until after the November elections 
that the re-enlisted veterans of our regiment, and the officers on leave 
of absence, received orders to report in New York for transportation 
to New Berne. The rebel authorities had fulfilled so much of the 
terms of the surrender of Company A, as to release Chaplain White, 
as a non-combatant, at Charleston, S. C, on the 23d of September, 
and since that time he had been at home in Providence. About 
eighty of the veterans of the Fifth, together with Chaplain White, 
Captain Robinson, Adjutant Gladding, Quartermaster Lawton, and 
Lieutenant Landers assembled in New York, where they embarked 
for New Berne, direct. They reached Hatteras Inlet, Novembr 19th, 
and this detachment again had the experience of entering tlie Sound 
in a storm. The steamer anchored north of the inlet and signaled 
for a pilot. Chaplain White shall tell of this adventure : 

" The ship plunged terribly, and strained at the great anchor 
cable as if it must part it at the next roll. The rain fell freely, and 
the wind was coming with the force of a hurricane. Presently a speck 
was seen approaching from the inlet, and we soon recognized the 
pilot, and in a few minutes up came the anchor, and Ave started for 
the entrance. The pilot got us safely into the inlet channel. Just 
as we passed the fort we came upon the dreaded ' swash ' and struck, 
so strong was the wind and tide and they took tlie bow of the ship 
and swung us fair about, till we lieaded for the sea again. We sig- 
naled for help and a tug run alongside, but both engines were un- 
able to get us off. This ' swash ' is a belt of hard sand across the 
inlet on the inside. The water is from seven to ten feet deep, vary- 
ing with the force of the tide, and it is the dread of all vessels enter- 
ing Pamlico Sound. Finding it impossible to go ahead and thus get 
off the ' swash,' the pilot reversed the engines and backed her, 
digging out a path for her keel with the propeller. As I looked upon 
the operation I thought that this was not the first time a party has 
had to get out of a bad scrape by backing out. To back out is one 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HKAVY AKTILLKKY. 



24o 



thing, but to back through and so triumpli in spite of obstacles 
is quite another. Our appetites began to sliarpen, and faces that 
were long and of a doleful cast began to grow cheerful, and ' off 
Hatteras,' and ' within the inlet ' were thought to be widely different 
situations." 




Sergt. James B. Horton. 



The veterans landed in New Berne in a drizzling rain. Under the 
command of Captain Robinson they marched to regimental head- 
quarters and reported in a body to Lieutenant-Colonel Tew. And 
when they had time to realize the great danger they had escaped 
during their absence from New Berne, each and all felt that the delay 
in getting their furloughs had proved a blessing in the end. 



246 HISTORY OF THE 

Up to this time the regimental hospital had remained in its old 
location near Fort Totten. It was now removed over the Neuse to 
Fort Anderson. Soon after this change an incident occurred that 
showed the unsophisticated nature of the average North Carolina 
girl of that period. One day two young girls came to one of the 
hospital tents and asked for a drink of water. The hospital steward 
directed one of the attendants to give them ice-water, which was 
furnished to the patients at that time. One of the girls took the 
glass, raised it to her lips, and then with a scream of mingled fear 
and pain, she dropped it to the ground, and clasped her trembling 
hands over her mouth. She had never tasted ice-water before in 
summer. 

Nothing broke the quiet of garrison duty for some weeks after the 
veterans returned. Various small expeditions and many scouting 
parties were sent out, but it did not fall to our lot to share in them. 
November 25th, Colonel Whitford, who commanded the rebel cav- 
aliy tliat did their outpost duty between Kinston and New Berne, 
came in with a flag of truce, ostensibly for the purpose of making 
arrangements for some refugees to cross our lines. But the duration 
of his stay, and the evident pleasure with which he enjoyed the 
hospitalities tendered him by some of the officers at headquarters, 
made many think that his real errand was to have a "good time." 

On Friday, December 9th, a reconnoissance in force was ordered 
towards Kinston. A detachment of one hundred and forty men from 
the Fifth Rhode Island, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Tew, 
together with similar detachments from other regiments, constituted 
the force. The column left New Berne about eleven o'clock at 
night. We quote our account from the diary of an officer who took 
part in this last march of the Fifth Rhode Island : " "We marched 
in a pouring rain until five o'clock next morning, when we biv- 
ouacked until eight ; then we started and marched all day until nine 
o'clock that night, and again bivouacked in a cold northeast rain storm. 
We started again at seven o'clock the next morning, Sunday, just as 
it began to clear off, and marched to within about four miles of 
Kinston. We skirmished with the enemy most of the day, but had 
no regular engagement. Monday we started for New Berne, where 
we arrived Tuesday afternoon, tlioroughly tired and footsore. It 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTII,LEKY. 247 

Avas the hardest march we were ever on, and we were in the worst 
possible condition to make it that Ave Avere ever in, from lyin<^ so 
long in garrison. I suppose the object of the expedition was accom- 
plished ; Avhich probably Avas a mere feint to cover an attaclc else- 
Avhere, and prevent rebel troops from being drawn from here to 
repel it." 

The regiment returned from the reconnoisance December 13th. 
The term of service of those members of the original battalion who 
had not re-enlisted Avould expire on the next Thursday, the 16th. 
Less than one hundred men and nine officers were to be mustered 
out. It Avas not to escape the fatigues of the march or the dangers 
of the battlefield that these men did not re-enlist, but rather to be 
free from the monotony of a camp life that had in its future no 
promise of a change for the better ; it Avas that their hearts Avere 
filled Avith a longing for home. How Avell these men had fulfilled to 
the uttermost every duty required of them, these pages have borne 
most willing but feeble testimony. The officers Avere, Surgeon, 
Albert Potter, Chaplain Henry S. White, Capts. William W. Doug- 
las, George G. Hopkins, and Henry B. Landers, and Lieuts. James 
M. Wheaton, Henry P. Williams, Dutee Johnson, Jr., and Charles E. 
Douglass. The routine necessary to the execution of formal regula- 
tions and compliance Avith official details caused nearly a week to 
elapse before these men finally reached their homes. A fatality 
seemed to attend the quartermasters of the Fifth. On tlie 20th 
of December Quartermaster LaAvton suddenly died of apoplexy. He 
was the third one Avho had died of disease since the regiment liad 
been in North Carolina. 

The Avinter season had now set in and compelled, for a time, a 
general cessation of hostilites. General Sherman Avas in Savannah, 
Ga., Avhere his army Avas being recruited and refitted. As soon as 
this Avas done, and he had collected supplies for the march, he was to 
move north through the Carolinas and enter Virginia in the rear of 
Petersburg and Richmond, and effect a junction with General Grant. 
The latter Avas to Avatch and follow General Lee and the rebel army 
of Virginia, if they attempted to leave their lines, so closely that 
they should not be able to escape and attack General Slierman when 
he entered Virginia. The soldiers composing the garrision at New 



248 HISTORY OF THE 

Bei'ue could only wait and watch the successive steps of this great 
campaign as its plan Avas gradually unfolded. General Sherman 
soon left Savannah and threw his army into the swamps and morasses 
of South Carolina, on his northward march. He was not to detach 
men or spend time to secure Charleston, or to capture Wilming- 
ton, but to march directly north to Goldsboro. In the meantime all 
of the men that could be spared from General Thomas's victorious 
army at NashvilUe, Tenn., were brought by rail to Annapolis, Md., 
and Washington, D. C, where they were embarked, and, under the 
command of Major-General Schofield, ordered to Wilmington, there 
to assist in the capture of that place. These forces Avere then to 
move north on the railroad to Goldsboro, or from New Berne to 
Goldsboro, and have supplies ready for General Sherman's army 
when it should reach that point. 

When General Schofield reached Wilmington with his Twenty-third 
Army Corps, he found that Fort Fisher had been captured by General 
Terry, and he had only to assist in those movements which compelled 
the evacuation of Wilmington on the night of P^ebruary 21st. Our 
forces entered that city February 22d, only to find that all the rolling 
stock had been removed, and the march on Goldsboro with supplies 
therefor impracticable witliin the the time required. While these 
movements were being made around. Wilmington some five thousand 
men had been sent to General Palmer at New Berne, and a large 
quantity of rolling stock and engines, altered to the standard Virginia 
gauge of five feet, collected at Beaufort. On the 22d of February 
1865, General Schofield ordered General Palmer to move from New^ 
Berne to Kinston, at once, repairing the railroad as he advanced. At 
the same time he ordered the Twenty-third Coi'ps to New Berne. On 
the 25th he found that General Palmer had not yet commenced his 
march, and he placed Gen. J. D. Cox in command of the troops 
with orders to move, which were obeyed the same day. 

It was at this time a significant event occurred which was hailed 
at the time as one of the signs of the approaching end of our great 
struggle. On the 25th of February, Company B, of the Sixth North 
Carolina (rebel) cavalry, came into our lines in a body, with their 
two lieutenants and horses, arms, and equipments, and delivered 
themselves up. After partaking of a bountiful supply of food, with 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HKAVV AKTII.I.KUV. 249 

the old flag at the head of their cohimu, they entered the city. Here 
they were informed that they would receive pay for their horses and 
arms, and could either go north or be furnished with employment tl)ere. 
These men said that there were thousands in the rebel army who 
would come in if they only knew they would be received in such a 
generous manner. 

About March 1st Colonel Tew was placed in command of the forts 
and other defences of Ne\v Berne, and they were mainly garrisoned 
by the various companies of the Fifth and some detachments from 
other regiments. The troops of the Twenty-third Corps were now 
arriving at New Berne by thousands, and this sudden influx of men 
taxed the powers and endurance of both the officers and men on duty 
in the city to the utmost. Supplies of all kinds had to be issued to 
them, and they soon filled the hospitals to overflowing. Everything 
had been left behind them at Nashville, and many of tlie regiments 
did not have even a regimental medicine chest with them. Often the 
morning sick call of the Fiftli lasted well into the day, and as many 
as four hundred of these men received treatment at the regimental 
hospital in one day. A fleet laden with supplies of all kinds soon 
gathered at the wharves, and the local troops had to furnish details 
and guards for every purpose known at a base of supplies. In his 
report the Adjutant-General of Rhode Island, says: " During the 
forward movement from New Berne, the Fifth regiment, in addition 
to its other duties, furnished the provost guard for the city, patrols for 
picking up deserters and stragglers, guards for conveying convalescents 
and others to the front, a guard for trains running to Goldsboro and 
afterwards to Raleigh, a picket guard for protection against incur- 
sions by guerrilla bands, and performed various otiier kinds of tlu'ty 
in the city, at outposts and at the front. Many times a hirge per- 
centage of the men were sick in hospital, or in quarters, from the 
effects of the severe duty imposed upon them. Althougli during this 
period the regiment did not go to the front, the officers and men 
Avould willingly have changed places with any regiment in the field, 
and even went so far as to ask the commanding general to be sent 
there. But the experience of the regiment in the care of fortifications 
and the use of heavy guns, as well as the general work pertaining to 
garrison duty, caused it to be retained in New Berne." Sucli was 



250 HISTORY OF THE 

the lot of the Fifth Rhode IsLand daring these days of bustle and ex- 
citement. 

To yield up Goldsboro and let General Shei-raau .establish himself 
there with New Berne as his base of supplies was to practically an- 
nounce the speedy fall of Richmond and the end of the Confederacy. 
No one knew this better than the rebel generals. Kinston must be held 
at any cost, as its possession determined the fate of Goldsboro. Ac- 
cordingly General Bragg assumed personal command of the troops 
defending Kinston. General Cox found them strongly posted at 
Wises's Fork, one and a half miles south of Southwest Creek. A 
stubbornly contested battle took place here. Through the want of 
caution a detached force of our troops numbering about 700 men 
were captured almost to a man. The enemy repeatedly charged our 
lines, and were repulsed with heavy loss each time. It was not until 
13th of March, and after the whole of the Twenty-third army corps 
had been advanced to our lines, tliat the enemy finally evacuated 
Kinston. Our troops had come to stay this time, and the railroad 
was at once repaired to that point. 

Rebel prisoners of war did not always find their paths strewn with 
roses while sojourning among us. But, when once within the walls 
of our stockades, our worst treatment was infinitely superior to the 
best they ever bestowed on such unfortunates as fell into their hands. 
No rendezvous of rebel prisoners in all the North was so hated by 
them as Point Lookout, Md. We have put before our readers a tale 
of Andersonville and Floi'ence. In order that it may be the more 
impartially judged we will give a glimpse into our own treatment of 
such rebel soldiers as the fortunes of war put into our hand. 

On the 13th of March First Lieut. C. W. Howland, with one ser- 
geant and twelve men from the Fifth, reported to district headquar- 
ters for special duty. There Lieutenant Howland learned that he was 
to guard 362 I'ebel prisoners from New Berne to Fortress Monroe. 
They were to embark on an old transport, the S. R. Spaulding^ 
which had just unloaded a cargo of beef cattle. The steamer was in 
a filthy condition, and the prisoners protested being sent aboard her 
until she had been cleansed. But there was no time to wait for that, 
so they had to embark. The steamer sailed that afternoon, and 
reached Fortress Monroe at eig-ht o'clock on the morning of the 15th. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTILLERY. 



251 



Here Lieutenant Howland reported to General Ord, commanding the 
department, who ordered him to take the prisoners to Point Lookout, 
Md. They were landed, by means of a tug, a squad at a time, and 
guarded by a detachment from the fort until about four p. m., the 
next day, when they were embarked on the steamer Clyde for Point 
Lookout. Lieutenant Howland shall tell his own story : 




Lieut, Charles E. Lawton. 

'• All went well until about ten o'clock, when we were within [a 
mile or two of Point Lookout Light. I was in the act of getting into 
my berth, when suddenly I was flung against the door of my state- 
room with such force that it was thrown open and I landed full 
length under the dining-table in tlie saloon, right under the eyes of 
the old colored stewardess, who sat there sewing, and I wasn't in 



252 HISTORY OF THE 

full dress either. Getting into my clothes as quick as possible, I 
ran forward to the hurricane deck. There I found the captain, lead 
line in hand, taking soundings. He told me that he had been run into, 
amidships, on the starboard side, by some unknown steamer, and cut 
through below the water line, and that our boat was making water 
fast. As soon as possible signals of distress were made, and the 
steamer catne to our assistance. 

At the time of the collision the prisoners were asleep inside the 
guard of the steamer, and when the boat that ran into us pulled her 
prow from the side of our steamer, the planking gave way and four 
of the prisoners fell into the sea and were never seen afterward. 
We soon learned that the steamer was the gunboat Western World, 
then on duty to prevent the destruction of the light-house at the 
Point, a raid having been made for the purpose of blowing it up 
some time before. The wind was blowing a gale, and the sea was 
so rough that the gunboat could not come alongside, so a line was 
sent to us, and preparations made to pass our men aboard. The 
painter of a surf-boat was kept around the hawser, but it seemed im- 
possible for the boat's crew to pull against the wind, the sea was roll- 
ing so high. I made the fii-st attempt, and finally succeeded in reach- 
ing the gunboat, where the executive officer furnished me with dry 
clothing and plenty of hot coffee. In tlie meantime the captain of 
the Clyde had stuffed the great leak with mattresses and spiked plank- 
ing over it. He also shifted his chain boxes and other material to 
the opposite side so as to careen her over and make her tolerably safe. 

By this time I had made arrangements to transfer the guard and 
prisoners to the gunboat. The guard came over first. One of the 
officers stood on one side and I on the other, with sailors holding us 
so we would not go overboard, then, when the surf-boat would rise on 
a wave we would reach out and grasp a man by the shoulders and 
pull him in. The marines were formed in open ranks with cutlasses 
drawn and revolvers in hand, while the prisoners were marched be- 
low. When the hold was filled, those remaining on deck were 
chained, handcuffed, and strapped to the guns in every conceivable 
way. This was done for our own safety. One poor fellow had his 
head crushed between the guard of the surf-boat and the side of the 
gunboat, killing him instantly, and we dropped the body overboard. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTII.I.EKY. 2o3 

" We worked all night in transferring tiie prisoners. The next 
morning, at about eight o'clock, we took the disabled steamer in tow 
and started for the Point. There I turned the prisoners over to the 
commanding officer, who was pleased to congratulate me for my good 
management. 

" After receiving a receipt for my prisoners they were formed in 
single file and a descriptive list taken of each officer and private. 
Everything was taken from them except knife and tobacco. Then 
they were taken to the prison pen, or stockade, and turned over to 
the officer in charge, there to remain until exchanged. This stock- 
ade enclosed many acres, and extended far into the waters of the 
Chesapeake, giving the prisoners fine facilities for bathing. The 
fence was seventeen feet high, with a walk inside three feet from the 
top, for the guard. The prisoner's were divided into squads, with a 
non-commissioned officer in charge of each squad. Their quarters 
were about the same as most camps, having very large and comforta- 
ble tents for hospital purposes. The prisoners were allowed one-half 
of a government ration, which is sufficient for any unemployed man. 
If they desired the other half ration, or a plug of tobacco, or a ration 
of whiskey, they could get it by doing a day's work on the fortifica- 
tions. At tattoo roll call those who wished to work the following 
day could report to the non-commissioned officer in command of the 
squad, and the person so reporting would get his detail for duty, re- 
ceiving the promised reward at the close of the day. The camp and 
all its surroundings were very neat and tidy. 

" I remained at Point Lookout until late the next day, when I took 
passage on the S. R. Spauldwg for Norfolk, and returned to New 
Berne by the way of the Dismal Swamp Canal and Roanoke Island. 
The officer in command of the gunboat was tried by a court-martial 
and dismissed from the service, for his recklessness in causing the 
collision." 

Goldsboro was occupied by our forces March 21st. On that day 
General Sherman defeated the rebels under Gen. J. E. Johnston at 
Bentonville, N. C, and on the •23d his advance reached Goldsboro, 
where ample supplies were awaiting him. General Terry arrived 
about the same time from Wilmington, having marched along the 
line of the railroad. These armies remained here, resting and 



254 FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 

refitting, until April 10th, when General Sherman moved towards 
Raleigh, which he occupied on the 13th. At this time, and by these 
great armies, was the original plan of General Burnside fully accom- 
plished, and the men of the Fifth Rhode Island and the old Coast 
Division, saw others secure the prize for which they had so long and 
so manfully battled amid the forests and swamps of North Carolina. 

From the time of the occupation of Goldsboro up to the departure 
of General Sherman's army for Washington, D. C, many of our 
officers aud men availed themselves of the opportunity to go to 
Raleigh on the supply trains and see something of the interior of 
North Carolina. At first the most noticeable thing was the number 
of rebel soldiers that were everywhere seen plodding wearily toward 
their homes. They could be seen following by-paths and making 
short cuts across the fields until long after Johnston's rebel army had 
surrendered. 

During the winter of 1864-65 the following changes occurred in 
the roster of the regiment : 

On the 6th of January Lieutenant-Colonel Tew appointed Lieut. 
C. W. Rowland adjutant, and Lieut. C. F. Gladding quartermaster 
of the regiment. 

January 11th. Assistant-Surgeon Jerome B. Greene was pro- 
moted to the rank of surgeon, his commission to date from Dec. 22, 
1864, and was mustered into service January IStli. First Lieuts. 
Edward F. Angell, George H. Pierce and Walter H. Luther were 
appointed captains, to date from Jan. 1, 1865, and Second Lieuts. 
Henry B. Bateman, John B. Landers, and Benjamin F. Underwood, 
to be first lieutenants, to date from Jan. 1, 1865. 

On the 13th of February, Lieutenant Hovvland was relieved from 
duty as adjutant and assigned to Company A, and First Lieut. 
B. F. Underwood was detailed as adjutant. 

February 27th, Capt. Isaac M. Potter was promoted major, vice 
Jameson dismissed, and First Lieut. Lewis H. Bowen was appointed 
captain. 

April 7th, First Lieut. C. T. Pierce was appointed captain. 

May 9th, Lieutenant Underwood was formally promoted to be first 
lieutenant and adjutant of the regiment, and on the same day Lieu- 
tenant Gladding was commissioned quartermaster. 



CHAPTER XVI, 



THE END. 



THE war had ended. A feeling that tliey had done all that 
could now be required of them ; that in doing further duty 
as soldiers they were performing useless labor; a feelino- that 
they were out of place while lazily lounging around their quarters, or 
marching up and down for two hours at a time in front of some ofli- 
cer's tent, seemed to seize upon the men. And the same feeliu"- 
appeared to exist to a great degree among the officers of the reo-i- 
ment. Discipline relaxed. Company and battalion drills ceased. 
" What did you do " was asked of a member of the regiment, " be- 
tween the first of May and your muster-out at New Berne? " " Do? 
Why, I fished for crabs off the dock, or read anything I could get, in 
my tent," was his candid reply. 

During this time the companies were assembled in the forts south 
of the Trent, and regimental headquarters were established in Fort 
Spinola. Most of the regular garrison of New Berne were sent to 
other points, or discharged from the service, and by the first of June 
the streets of the city began to wear a deserted look. The men now 
performed their duties in a listless manner, and all of their thoughts 
and talks were upon the one question, " When Avill we be discharged 
and sent home?" And so the long, sweltering days were passed, 
until at length the good news came that some time during the last of 
June they would get transportation home. At length it was defi- 
nitely known that on the 26th of June they would receive their formal 
discharge from the service ; and on that day that formal proceeding 
took place. Then arose the question of transportation. It could 
not be furnished at once, and so the wearying, trying ordeal of wait- 
ing was again resumed. At this time the roster of the regiment 
was as follows : 



256 HISTORY OF THE 

Field and Staff, Col. George W. Tew, Maj. Isaac M. Potter, 
Surgeon Jei'ome B. Greene, Adjt. B. F. Underwood, Quartermaster 
C. F. Gladding. 

Company B, First Lieut. M. 0. Darling, Second Lieut. S. W. 
Burbank. 

Company A, Capt. John Aigan, First Lieut. C. W. Howland. 
At this time this company numbered ten men, the survivors of the 
fifty-one who were captured at Croatan Station. 

Company K, Capt. E. DeMeulen. 

Company E, Capt, George H. Pierce. 

Company G, Capt. John E. Robinson, First. Lieut. Chai'les C. 
Greene. 

Company I, Capt. Charles Taft, First Lieut. John B. Landers. 

Company D, Capt. W. H. Luther. 

Company H, Capt. E. F. Angell. 

Company C, First Lieut. H. B. Bateman. 

Company F, Capt. "William R. Landers. 

On the 26th of June His Excellency the Governor made the fol- 
lowing promotions in the regiment : 

Sergeant-Major Patrick Hayes to be second lieutenant. 

Hospital Steward John K. Burlingame to be second lieutenant. 

Quartermaster Sergeant Lewis T. Hall to be second lieutenant. 

First Sergeant Samuel B. Burbank to be second lieutenant. 

First Sergeant John Radakin to be second lieutenant. 

First Sergeant John Reddington to be second lieutenant. 

First Sergeant Peleg Clarke to be second lieutenant. 

Sergeant John B. Garteman to be second lieutenant. 

Sergeant James McEwan to be second lieiitenant. 

Private AVilliam Goss to be second lieutenant. 

These promotions did not reach the regiment until it was on the 
route home, and therefore the officers were never mustered into the 
United States service. 

The 30th of June was at last set as the day of embarkation. 
With the first light of the morning the eager men were out and 
watching to see the expected steamer run up to the wharf, and all the 
morning the negroes swarmed through the camp, gathering what was 
for them a rich harvest of abandoned property. It was afternoon 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HKAVV ARTILLKRY. 



Jo 7 



before the long -looked for boat, the Ellen S. Terry, came to her 
moorings, and the P'iftli Rhode Ishiiid assembled for the last time 
within the line of works that for nearly three years had been their 
only home. Soon all wei-e on board, the lines were cast off, and the 
steamer sped swiftly down the Neuse. As the boat entered Pamlico 
Sound, and the men turned to take their last look at the low, forest 




Corporal Francis Eaton. 

covered shores, now fading from view iu the gloom of the coming 
night, more than one heart was filled with a feeling of mingled ten- 
derness and sorrow for the comrades they were leaving behind whom 
no earthly reveille would ever waken. 

No accident marred the voyage from New Berne to New York. 
Hope, joy, hilarity even, marked the demeanor of all. The sudden 
death of a convalescent comrade, Avho thought he was " strong 
17 



258 HISTOUV Ol- THE 

enough to go home with the regiment " did not long depress them. 
New York was reached on the morning of July 3d. Here they 
learned that they were expected in Providence in time to participate 
in the celebration of the Fourth, and that elaborate preparations had 
been made to o^ive them a rousing welcome home. In the afternoon 
they again embarked on the steamer Nansit for Providence. This 
time the boat happened to be a very slow one. To these impatient 
men she seemed to crawl along. It was late the next morning 
when the steamer rounded from the sound into the bay. The day 
Avas all that could be desired. Never before to an equal number of 
men did the shores of Narragansett Bay appear so delightful to the 
eye as they did that mor"hing. Three years of a life passed in tramp- 
ing along the low, sandy shores and through the swamps and pine 
forests of North Carolina, enable these men to feel in the depths of 
their souls how very beautiful wei'e the rivers and bays, the hills and 
valleys, the woods and fields of their own loved Rhode Island, and 
how pure and tender were the recollections that bound them to the 
home and firesides of their fathers. 

The hour of the departure of the steamer had been wired from 
New York to Providence, and it was confidently expected tliat the 
regiment would arriv^e quite early on the morning of the Fourth, and 
preparations for the reception were made accordingly. The press of 
the city had given notice that the veterans were expected at an early 
hour on the Fourth, and were to be formally received by the state and 
city officials. Crowds came in from the surrounding country, for 
nearly all of the towns in the state had representatives in the well 
known Fifth. 

An imposing procession composed of all the fire and military com- 
panies of the city, with bands of music, together with the civic 
authorities in carriages, were early in line at the dock where the 
steamer was to land. Hour after hour passed and the boat did not 
appear. She had been signaled, and it was known that she would 
arrive some time. At last the procession moved over a portion of 
the prescribed route, and halted at the foot of Benefit Street and waited 
till the snail-like boat crept up to her berth, and the impatient veterans 
debarked. Then in full fighting array, and carrying the tattered 
banners that bore record of their many battles, they took their places 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 2i)d 

in the line. From this time, during the rest of tlie marcli, the recep- 
tion of the Fifth was one continued ovation from the people who 
crowded the streets to see them pass and welcome them home again. 

When the march through the city had been completed, the city 
officials took charge of the regiment, and in the evening marched 
men and officers to the Howard and Phoenix halls, where an ele- 
gant and bountiful collation had been prepared for the military and 
other organizations that had taken part in the ceremonies of the day. 
Here Govei-nor Smith and Ex-Governor Hoppin made short addresses 
of welcome to the returned veterans. " General Burnside was pre- 
sent and received a most enthusiastic greeting from his old soldiers 
of the Fifth, whose manifestations of loving regard for their old com- 
mander touched his heart and almost choked his utterance. There 
was something touchingly beautiful in the feeling manifested at this 
meeting between the Genei'al and the men who had shared the perils 
and glories of his North Carolina expedition." 

The men were now furloughed to their homes until the rolls could 
be prepared and the formalities attending their final muster-out com- 
pleted. In about two weeks they assembled again, the last settle- 
ment of accounts was made, rolls were signed for the last time, and 
the Fifth Regiment Rhode Island Volunteers legally ceased to exist. 
But so long as the American Union shall remain one country, and 
her children shall be endowed with courage and patriotism to defend 
their libei'ties and her integrity, so long will the Fifth Rhode Island 
exist in the pages of her history, and the story of the dauntless band 
who carried succor to their beleagured comrades be cherished in the 
hearts of brave men. 



ROSTER. 



FIELD AND STAFF. 



Colonels. 

Henry T. Sisson. First lieutenant and paymaster, First Rliode 
Island Detached Militia, May 2, 1861 ; captain, First Rliode 
Island Light Artillery, Dec. 28, 1861 ; major. Third Rhode 
Island Heavy Artillery, Feb. 5, 1862; resigned, Aug. 6, 1862; 
colonel Fifth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Nov. 5, 1862; 
honorably discharged the service on account of disability, Oct. 
5, 1864, 

George W. Tew. Captain, Co. F, First Rhode Island Detached 
Militia, May 2, 1861 ; captain, Co. G, Fourth lyiode Island In- 
fantry; major, Oct. 11, 1861; lieutenant-colonel, Nov. 20, 
1861; resigned, Aug. 11, 1862; major, Fifth Rhode Island 
Heavy Artillery ; lieutenant-colonel, March 2, 1863; appointed 
colonel, Oct. 14, 1864; not mustered; mustered out, Jime 26, 

1865. 

Lieutenant-Colonels. 

Job Arnold. Private, Co. C, First Rhode Island Detached Militia, 
May 2, 1861 ; captain Co. E, Fifth Rhode Island Infantry, 
Dec. 16, 1861 ; lieutenant-colonel, Jan. 7, 1863 ; transferred to 
Seventh Rhode Island Infantry as lieutenant-colonel, i\Iarch 2, 
1863 ; discharged on account of physical disability. ^lay 28, 
1864. 

George W. Tew. As above. 

Majors. 
John Wright. Captain, Co. B, Second Rhode Island Infantry, 

June 6, 1861 ; major. Fifth Rhode Island Infantry, Nov. 7, 

1861 ; resigned, Aug. 25, 1862. 
George W. Tew. As above. 



264 HISTOKV OF THE 

Thorndike C. Jameson. Cliaplain Second Rhode Island Infantry, 
June 5, 1861 ; major, Dec. 13, 1862 ; resigned, Jan. 8, 1863 ; 
major. Fifth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, March 2, 1863 ; 
dismissed the service, Feb. 2, 1865. 

Adjutants. 

Charles H. Chapman. First lieutenant and adjutant. Fifth Rhode 
Island Volunteers, Nov. 30, 1861 ; discharged on account of disa- 
bility. May 14, 1862 ; appointed sergeant-major, Thirty-nintli 
Massachusetts Infantry, Sept. 1, 1862; mustered in Sept. 4, 
1862 ; clischarged Nov. 10, 1862 ; mustei-ed in as second lieu- 
tenant in same regiment, Nov. 11, 1862 ; commission dates Aug. 
30, 1862 ; July 17, 1865, detailed acting assistant inspector-gen- 
eral fourth brigade, second division, first army corps, until brig- 
ade was disbanded ; commissioned first lieutenant same regiment, 
Sept. 6, 1864 ; not mustered in, being prisoner of war ; mustered 
out, April 29, 1865; mustered in as captain Forty-first United 
States Colored Infantry, April 30, 1865; commission dates 
Sept. 16, 1864; detailed acting assistant adjutant-general, sec- 
ond brigade, second division, twenty-fifth army corps and post 
adjutant, Edinburg, Texas, Sept. 2Q, 1865, until brigade was 
disbanded; mustered out, Dec. 10, 1865. 

James M. Wheaton. Second lieutenant, Co. E, Dec. 16, 1861 ; 
first lieutenant and adjutant, June 9, 1862 ; transferred to Co. 
F, Feb. 28, 1864; mustered out, Dec. 22, 1864. 

Charles F. Gladding. Hospital steward, Dec. 16, 1861 ; first 
lieutenant, Co. F, Feb. 14, 1863 ; adjutant, Feb. 28, 1864; first 
lieutenant and quartermaster, Jan. 1, 1865 ; appointed captain, 
not mustered, June 26, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Christopher W. Howland. Private, Co. A, Twelfth Rhode Island 
Infantry, Oct. 13, 1862 ; promoted to second lieutenant, Co. D, 
Fifth Rhode Island Heavy Artilery, Dec. 27, 1862 ; first lieu- 
tenant, Dec. 5, 1864 ; adjutant, Jan. 2, 1865 ; transferred to 
Co. A, Feb. 10, 1865 ; mustered out June 26, 1865. 

Benjamin F. Underwood. Private, Co. H, Dec. 27, 1862, trans- 
ferred to Co. K, and appointed corporal ; transferred to Co. A, 
and appointed sergeant; second lieutenant, Co. H., Dec. 5, 



FIFTH RHODF ISLAND HKAVV AUTIM.KKY. 265 

1864; first lieuteuant, Co. H, Jan. 27, 1865; appointed adju- 
tant, Feb. 11, 1865 ; mustered out June 26, 1865. 

Quartermasters. 

MuNKO H. Gladding. Private, Co. D, First Rhode Island De- 
tached Militia, May 2, 1861 ; quartermaster. Fifth Rhode 
Island Infantry, Dec. 16, 1861 ; died at Beaufort Hospital, 
North Carolina, Nov. 26, 1862. 

William W. Prouty. Private, Co. I), First Riiode Island De- 
tached Militia, May 2, 1861 : quartermaster sergeant. Fifth 
Rhode Island Infantry, Dec. 16, 1861 ; quartermaster, Feb. 14, 
1863 ; died at New Berne, N. C, Jan. 1, 1864. 

Charles E. La WTON. Quartermaster, Jan. 1,1864; died of apo- 
plexy, Dec. 20, 1864. 

Charles F. Gladding. As above. 

Surgeons. 

Ephraim L. Warhen. Surgeon, Dec. 10, 1862; honorably dis- 
charged on account of physical disabilty, Nov. 7, 1863. 

Albert Potter. Mustered as assistant surgeon, Oct. 10, 1861 ; 
surgeon, Dec. 4, 1863 ; mustered out, Dec. 22, 1864. 

Jerome B. Greene. Acting assistant surgeon, U. S. A., May 27, 
1862; assigned to Moutitain Department; assigned to artillery 
Eleventh Corps Army of the Potomac ; resigned, January, 
1863 ; assistant surgeon. Fifth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, 
May 25, 1863j surgeon, Dec. 22, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 
1865. 

Assistant Surgeons, 

Albert Potter. As above. 
Jerome B. Greeni;. As above. 

Chaplains • 
Mc Walter B. Noyes. Cliaplain, Dec. 16, 1861 ; resigned, Aug. 

15, 1862. 
Henry S. White. Chaplain, Jan. 7, 1863 ; taken prisoner at Croa- 

tau,N. C, May 5, 1864; exchanged, Oct. 6, 1864, mustered 

out, Dec. 22, 1864. 



266 IIISTOUY OF THE 

NON-COMMISSIONED STAFF, 

Sergeant-Maj ors. 

Joseph G. Hatlinger. Sergeant major, Oct. 30, 1861 ; discharged 
to accept commission as firfet lieutenant in Second Nortli Caro- 
lina Volunteers (colored), July 17, 1863. 

Joshua C. Drown, Jr. Private, Co. C, Dec. 16, 1861 ; corporal, 
June 7, 1862 ; transferred to Co. A, as sergeant, Feb. 4, 1863 ; 
promoted to sergeant-major, July 18, 1863 ; promoted to sec- 
ond lieutenant, Dec. 5, 1864 ; declined commission ; mustei'ed 
out, Dec. 23, 1864. 

Patrick Hayes. Corporal, Co. F, August 12, 1862 ; sergeant-ma- 
jor, Jan. 1, 1865 ; second lieutenant, .June 26, 1865 ; not mus- 
tered ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Quartermaster Sergeants. 
William W. Prolty. As above. 
Lewis T. Hall. Private, Co. A, Aug. 15, 1862; quartermaster 

sergeant; second lieutenant, June 26, 1865; not mustered; 

mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Commissary Sergeants. 

Charles E. Beers. Private, Co. A, First Rhode Island Detached 
Militia, May 2, 1861 ; commissary sergeant, Fifth Rhode Island 
Infantry, Oct. 7, 1861 ; second lieutenant Co. G, Feb. 14, 1863 ; 
honorably discharged on surgeon's certificate, Dec. 21, 1863. 

Joseph P. Sisson. Commissary sergeant, Dec. 1, 1862 ; discharged 
for disability, June 1, 1863. 

Richard A. Brown. Corporal, Co. G, Aug. 11. 1862; commis- 
sary sergeant. May 28, 1863 ; mustered out. June 26, 1865. 

Hospital Stewards. 
Charles F. Gladding. As above. 
John K. Burlingame. Private Co. F, Aug. 14, 1862 ; liospital 

steward, Feb, 14, 1863 ; second lieutenant, June 26, 1865 ; not 

mustered; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



FIl^Tll RHODE LSI. AM) IIKAVV AK 11 1.l.KKY. 207 

COMPANY A. 



[Note.— Tlie tirst date mentioned after the names denotes either tlie enlistment or 
muster into service.] 

Captains. 

Jonathan M. "Wheeler. Dec. 27, 1861 ; resigned, Aug. 4, 18fi2. 

Jame.s Gregg. First sergeant, Co. B, Dec. 16, 1861 ; second lieu- 
tenant, Co. C, June 9, 1862; captain Co. A, Feb. 14, 186:5 ; 
honorably discharged the service on account of physical di.sabil- 
ity, Dec. 21, 1863. 

John Aigan. Private, Co. E, First Rhode Island Detached Mili- 
tia, May 2, 1861 ; second lieutenant, Co. F, Third Rhode Island 
Heavy Artillery ; appointed by Governor Smith captain in Fifth 
Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Jan. 25,1864; assigned to Co. 
A, Feb. 15, 18G4 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May o, 
1864; escaped from prison Feb. 19, 18G5 ; mustered out June 
26, 1865 ; appointed major, July 5, 1865. 

First Lieutenants. 

Daniel S. Remington. Private Co. C, First Rhode Island Detaclied 
Militia, May 2, 1861 ; tirst lieutenant, Co. A, Fifth Rhode 
Island Heavy Artillery, Dec. 27, 1861 ; resigned, Aug. 6, 1862 ; 
first lieutenant, Co. C, Seventh Rhode Island Infantry, April 30, 
1863; transferred to Co. G; captain Co. B, June 19, 1865; 
mustered out, July 13, 1865. 

DuTEE Johnson, J'r. Sergeant, Co. E, Dec. 16, 1861 ; first lieutenant, 
Co. A, Feb. 14, 1863 ; mustered out, Dec. 22, 1S64. 

Christopher W. Howlanu. Assigned to this company from adju- 
tant, Feb. 10, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Second Lieutenants. 

Levi P. Goodwin. Dec, 27, 1861 ; resigned, Aug. 1. 1862. 

William H. Durfee, Jr. Private, Co. F, First Rhode Island De- 
tached Militia, May 2, 1861 ; sergeant, Co. C, Fifth Rhode 
Island Heavy Artillery, Dec. 16, 1861 ; second lieutenant, Co. 
A, Feb. 19, 1863; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 
1864; paroled; exchanged; mustered out. March 15. 1805. 



268 HISTOKY OF THE 

Sergeants. 

Robert S. Brownell. Private, Co, H, First Rhode Island De- 
tached Militia, May 2, 1861 ; first sergeant, Co. A, Fifth 
Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Oct, 17, 1861 ; wounded at Bat- 
tle of New Berne, March 14, 1862; discharged on surgeon's 
certificate of disability, Dec. 11, 1862. 

Silas T. Purbank. Dec. 11, 1861; discharged for disability, 
Sept. 12, 1862. 

Edwai{D F. Angell. Private Co. C, Fii;^t Rhode Island Detached 
Militia; sergeant Co. A, Fifth Rhode Island Infantry, Dec. 16, 
1861; first lieutenant Co. G, Feb. 14, 1863; transferred to 
Co. H, June 15, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Allen F. Cameron. Oct. 28, 1861 ; first sergeant, discharged, 
June 25, 1864, to accept commission as first lieutenant in Co. I, 
Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, (colored) ; mustered 
out, Oct. 2, 1865. 

Charles Perrigo. Nov. 1, 1861; died April '2C), 1862, from 
wounds received at Battle of New Berne, March 14, 1862. 

Joshua C. Drown, Jr. Dec. 16, 1861 ; transferred from corporal, 
Co. C, Feb, 14, 1863 ; promoted to sergeant-major, July 18, 
1863. 

Samuel R. PZddy, Corporal, Sept. 10, 1862; sergeant; taken 
prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 1864 ; died Nov. 19, 1864, 
of chronic diarrlm^a, at Mellen, Ga. 

Ben.jamin F. Underwood. Private, Co. H, Dec. 15, 1862 ; corpo- 
ral, Co. K, Dec. 27, 1862 ; sergeant, Co. A ; second lieuten- 
ant, Co. H, Dec. 5, 1864 ; not mustered ; promoted to first 
lieutenant, Co. H, Jan. 1, 1865; adjutant, Feb. 11, 1865. 

James MoEwan. Corporal, Dec, 14, 1861; sergeant. May 1, 
1862 ; transferred to Co. K. 

C. Henry Barney. Private, Dec. 14, 1861; corporal; sergeant; 
discharged Jan. 14, 1864, to accept commission as first lieuten- 
ant, Co. F, Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (colored) ; 
adjutant of second battalion of same during its entire period of 
service ; mustered out, Oct. 2, 1865, 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AIJTIM.KKY. 26!) 

Thomas Hanley. Private, Dec. 9, 1861 ; corponil ; first sergeant 
wlien taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 186J- ; died in 
prison at Andersoiiville, Ga., Nov. 15, 1864. 

William Reynolds. Private, Dec. 21, 1861; corporal; discharged 
for disability, May 28, 1863. 

Michael Kennedy. Private, August 9, 1863; sergeant; taken 

prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May .'>, 1864; died in prison at 

Charleston, S. C, Oct. 14, 1864. 
David H. Willard. Sept. 18, 1863 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, 

N. C, May 5, 1864 ; exchanged Nov. 27, 1864 ; rejoined Co. 

Jon. 20, 1865 ; promoted to first sergeant ; mustered out .Tune 

26, 1865. 

Corporals. 

Caleb W. Colvix. Corporal, Dec. 0,1861 ; discharged for disability, 
Jan. 10, 1863. 

Richard Arnold. Corporal, Dec. 16, 1<SG1 ; discharged for dis- 
ability, Aug. 12, 1862. 

Edward O. Colvin. Private, Dec. 14, 1861 ; corporal ; remustercd 
as a veteran, Jan. 4, 1864 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, May 5, 
1864; died at Andersonville, Ga., Sept. 5, 1864. 

Hehijekt Fenton. Private, Dec. 19, 1861; corporal; discharged 
for disability, May 11, 1864. 

John George. Private, July 10, 1863; (!orporal ; taken prisoner 
at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 1864. 

William H. Lillibridge. Private, Jan. 17, 1862; corporal; 
taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 1864; died at An- 
dersonville, Ga., Aug. 16, 1864. 

John Nickerson. Private, Dec. 16, 1861; corporal ; mustered 
out, Dec. 23, 1864. 

Michael Riley. Private, Dec, 14, 1861 ; corporal; taken prisoner 
at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 1864 ; died in prison at Charleston, 
S. C, September, 1864. 

Charles A. Slocum. Private, Dec. 14, 1861 ; corporal ; remus- 
tered as a veteran, Jan, 14, 1864; taken prisoner at Croatan, 
N. C, May 5, 1864; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga-, 
Aug. 31, 1864. 



270 HISTORY OF THE 

Jacob Snoble. Private, Jan. 1, 1862; remastered as a veteran, 
Jan. 4, 1864 ; appointed corporal ; mustered out June 26, 1865. 

Franklin Wicks. Private, Dec. 21, 1861 ; remustered as a vete- 
I'an, Jan. 4, 1864 ; appointed corporal ; taken prisoner at Croa- 
tan, N. C, May 5, 1864 ; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga. 

Privates. "* 

Adams, Sabin. Dec. '.». 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 28, 
1862. 

Ballou, Dennis G. Dec. 14, 1861 ; taken prisoner at Plymouth, 
N., C. ; died Oct. 10, 1864, in prison at Charleston, S. C. 

Bane, Frederic. Aug. 9, 1863 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, 
May 5, 1864 ; died at Andersonville, Ga., Aug. 2, 1864. 

Bass, Edward F. Dec. 23, 1861 ; died March 18, 1862, of wounds 
received at Battle of New Berne, March 14, 1862. 

Bentley, Benjamin. July 9, 1863 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. 
C, May 5, 1864 ; exchanged ; rejoined regiment, Jan. 20, 1865 ; 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Bishop, Benjamin. Dec. 10, 1861 ; mustered out Dec. 16, 1864. 

Bourn, George O. Dec. 11, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran Jan. 4, 
1864; taken prisoner at Croaton, N. C, May 5, 1864; ex- 
changed March 1, 1865 ; mustered out June 26, 1865. 

Brady, James. Dec. 27, 1861 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, 
May 5, 1864 ; died Dec. 1, 1864. on steamer Baltic, while on 
passage from Savannah, Ga., to Annapolis, Md. 

Brewer AYilliam. July 13, 1863 ; discharged by transfer to the 
navy, Sept. 27, 1864. 

Briggs, George E. Dec. 9, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Jan. 
13, 1864. 

Briggs, Jonathan, July 29, 1863 ; mustered out, June 25, 1865. 

Burgess, Benjamin N. Aug. 30, 1862 ; transferred to Co. G, Feb. 
19, 1863. 

Campbell, David. Dec. 23, 1861 ; sent to hospital, at Beaufort, 
N. C, Aug. 6, 1862 ; died there Sept. 16, 1862 ; buried in Na- 
tional Cemetery at New Berne, N. C 

Casw^ell, William F. Dec. 23, 1861 ; died Dec. 12, 1862. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAM) IIKAVV A U I I I.I.KKY. 271 

Champlin, John B. July 9, ISfi.") : mustered out June 20. 18(;;"». 
Chase, Cliarles F. Sept. 1, 1862; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. 

C, May 5, 1864; escaped Dec, 1864; died at liis homo in 

Warren, R. I., Jan. 19, 186;"). 
Clark, Frank S. Aug. 1, 1863; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, 

Mayo, 1864; paroled; absent sick in hospital June 26, 1865, 

at muster out of regiment. 
Collins, Thomas. Dec. 27, 1861 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. 

C, May 5, 1864 ; died at Andersonville, Ga., Aug. 16, 1864. 
Connelly, John. July 14, 1863 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. 

C, May 5, 1864 ; exchanged Dec. 3, 1864 ; rejoined regiment, 

Jan. 20, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
CoPELAND, Charles. Dec. 14, 1861; died Oct. 27, 1862. Buried 

in National Cemetery, New Berne, N. C. 
Curtis, Charles F. July 7, 1863 ; deserted Jan. 1, 1865, -while on 

furlough. 
Delaney, Charles. Oct. 25, 1861 ; remastered as a veteran, 

March 1, 1864; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 

1864; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., Feb. 22, 1865. 
DooLiTTTE, George L. Aug. 2, 1862 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, 

N. C, May 5, 1864, died in prison at Andersonville, (.ia., Aug. 
■ 6, 1864. 
DoYLE, James. Dec. 20, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran. Jan. 4, 

1864; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 1864; died 

in prison at Andersonville, Ga., Aug. 14, 1864. 
Drown, Joshua C. Aug. 15, 1862 ; discharged for physical disa- 
bility, July ^7, 1863. 
Eaton, Amos. Dec. 16, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 4. 

1864 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 1864, died in 

prison at Andersonville, Ga., Oct. 1, 1864, 
Eddy, James M. Dec. 20, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 4, 

1864 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 1864, paroled 

and died at Annapolis, Md., Dec. 30, 1864. 
Farrell, Patrick. Dec. 1, 1861 ; mustered out Nov. 21, 1864, 

term of service having expired ; brought dead to U. S. General 

Hospital, Fortress Monroe, Nov. 29, 1864 ; buried at Hamp- 
ton National Cemetery, Va. 



272 HISTORY OF THE 

Fee, Artliur. Dec. 7, 1861 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, 

May 5, 1864; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., Aug. 31, 

1864. 
Garvey, William. July 10, 1863 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. 

C, May 5, 1864; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., Aug. 

13, 1864. 
GouDY, John. July 10, 1363 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, 

May 5, 1864 ; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., June 2, 

1862. 
Gray, Michael. Dec. 23, 1861 ; mustered out, Dec. 31, 1864. 
Gray, Owen. Dec. 23, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Sept. 12, 

1862. 
Hackett, Edward. Dec. 10, 1861 ; mustered out, Dec. 31, 1864. 
Hampstead, John. Oct. 16, 1861 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, -N. 

C, May 5, 1864; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., July 

24, 1864. 
Hakvky, William. Aug. 1, 1863; deserted September, 1863. 
Hawkins, Daniel F. Dec. 23, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 

4, 1864 ; musician ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 

1864 ; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., Nov. 5, 1864. 
Heath, James O. Dec. 14, 1861 ; deserted June 25, 1863. 
HiGGiNS, Charles. Dec. 10, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Feb. 

7, 1863. 
Hiscox, Sylvester B. Aug. 21, 1862; taken prisoner at Croatan, 

N. C, May 5, 1864; exchanged Nov. 30, 1864; rejoined Co. 

Jan. 20, 1865 ; absent, sick at Annapolis, and mustered out at 

Providence, R. I., July 17, 1865. 
Holmes, William, July 28, 1863 ; deserted while on furlough, Jan- 
uary, 1865. 
Hopkins, John O. Dec. 9, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 

2, 1862. 
Hornby, John. Dec. 27, 1861 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, 

May 5, 1864 ; died in prison at Florence, S. C, Sept., 1864. 
Johnson, Andrew J. Aug. 9, 1863 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. 

C, May 5, 1864; died at Andersonville, Ga., July 8, 1864. 
Johnson, Daniel B. Dec. 21, 1861; discharged for disability, 

Jan. 30, 1863. 



FIFTH RHODK ISLAND HEAVV AHTILI.KKY. 273 

Kebana, Charles. Oct. 10, 1863 ; deserted from Fort Tottoii, New 
Berne, N. C. 

Keleghan, Cornelius. Aug. 5, 1863 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, 
N. C, May 5, 1864 ; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., Au- 
gust, 1864. 

King, George W. Dec. 21, 1861 ; discharged for disability. 

Lawrence, James, Aug. 4, 1863 ; taken prisoner at Croatan. N. 
C.,May 5, 1864 ; exchanged Dec. 3, 1864 ; returned to Co. 
March 6, 1865 ; mustered out June 26, 1865. 

Leach, John ]>. Dec. 26, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 
28, 1862. 

Lee, Cornelius. Dec. 17, 1861 ; taken prisoner at Croatan. N. C, 
May 5, 1864; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., Oct. 31, 
1864. 

Lewis, Edward. July 9, 1863 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, 
May 5, 1864 ; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., July 29, 
1864. 

LiNEHAN, Daniel. Oct. 22, 1861 ; discharged for disability. May 
" 5, 1863. 

Livingston John. Oct. 25, 1861 ; transferred from Co. E, Aug. 2, 
1X62 ; musician ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 4, 1864 ; taken 
prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 1864; died in prison at 
Andersonville, Ga., Oct. 31, 1864. 

Manchester. Samuel G. Dec. 6, 1861 ; discharged Nov. 26, 1862. 

Mann, James F. Nov. 1, 1861 ; wounded at Battle of New Jierne, 
March 14, 1862 ; mustered out, Nov. 17, 1864. 

Mathews, James. July 9, 1863; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C.t, 
May 5, 1864; rejoined Co. April 30, 18()5; mustered out, 
June 26, 1865. 

McLaughlin, James. Dec. 24, 1861 ; died March 30, 1862, of 
wounds received at Battle of New Berne, March 14, 1862. 

McQuADE, Edward. Jan. 17, 1862; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 
4, 1864; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 1864 ; re- 
joined Co. Jan. 20, 1865 ; mustered out, June 2G, 1865. 

Melville, Thomas H. Dec. 23, 1861 ; discharged Feb. 5, 1862. 

Melville, Peter D. Dec. 21, 18G1 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 
4, 1864; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 1864; ex- 
changed, Dec. 10, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
18 



274 HISTORY OF THK 

Melvillk, David. Dec. 21, 1861 ; deserted in camp at Providence. 

MoNTGOMKRY, CxBorge. Aug. 3, 1863 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, 
N. C, May '5, I86t; shot and killed while attempting toes- 
cape, 1864. 

Moore, John. Oct. 10, 1863; deserted from Fort Totten, New 
Berne, N. C. 

MoRAN Michael. Oct. 10, 1863 ; deserted from Fort Totten, New 
Berne, N. C. 

Mullen Terrance. Dec. 20, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 
Nov. 26, 1862 ; enlisted in Co. G, Fifteenth United States In- 
fantry ; discharged for disability, November, 1861. 

Murray, Patrick. Nov. 28, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Sept. 
13, 1862. 

O'Leary, Patrick. Dec. 25, 1861 ; died March 15, 1862, of wounds 
received at Battle of New Berne, March 14, 1862. 

O'Neil, Cornelius. Dec. 11, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 
28, 1862. 

Peck, Hezekiali M. Sept. 8, 1862; discharged for disability, Aug. 
9, 1863. 

Peck, James E. Sept. 8, 1862 ; died Nov. 7, 1862 ; buried in Na- 
tional Cemetery at New Berne, N. C. 

Rice, Charles. Oct. 10, 1863 ; deserted from Fort Totten, New 
Berne, N. C. 

Rodman, Henry. Oct. 10, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Ry'AN, John. Dec. 27, 1861 ; deserted at camp in Providence. 

Sanders, Charles. Aug. 3, 1863; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. 
C, May 5, 1864; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., Aug. 
28, 1864. 

Schmidt, Thubi. Oct. 10, 1863 ; deserted Oct. 25, 1864. 

Sears, John S. Aug. 1, 1863 ; discharged for disability, Nov. 21, 
1863. 

Seymour, Henry. July 29, 1863 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. 
C, May 5, 1864; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., Aug. 
19, 1864. 

Shoales, John. Oct. 10, 1863 ; deserted from Fort Totten, New 
Berne, N. C. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 275 

SissON, Charles S. Aug. 21, 1862 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. 

C, May 5, 1864; died in prison at Andersonville, G-a., Aug. 
18, 1864. 
SissoN, Shubael B. Aug. 28, 1862 ; transferred to Co. E, Feb. 19, 

1863. 
Smith, Franklin. Sept. 6, 1862 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, 

May 5, 1864 ; exchanged ; rejoined Co. April 25, 1865 ; dis- 
charged July 21, 1865. 
Smith, Palmer. Oct. 9, 1861 ; discharged Feb. 7, 1863. 
Smith, Thomas E. Oct. 24, 1861; discharged for disability, Aug. 

28, 1862. 
Steere, Francis E. Dec. 16, 1861 ; mustered out, Dec. 16, 1864. 
Sullivan, Jerry. Dec. 16, 1861 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. 

C, May 5, 1864; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., Aug. 

21, 1864. 
Thomas, John. July 29, 1863; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, 

May 5, 1864; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., Sept. 11, 

1864. 
Vallet, Orren. Dec. 12, 1861 ; disciuirged for disability, Aug. 28, 

1862. 
Vallet, William II. Dec. 16, 1861 ; remusteredas a veteran, Jan. 

4, 1864; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 1864; 

exchanged; left sick in prison at Andersonville, Ga., and 

doubtless died there. 
Wallace, William. July 13, 1863 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. 

C, May 5, 1864 ; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., July 1 1, 

1864. 
Waterman, Charles B. Dec. 9, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 

Aug. 14, 1.863. 
White, James P. Dec. 27, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 'Aug. 

28, 1862. 
Wicks, Stephen. Dec. 21, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 4, 

1864; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, May 5, 1864; ex- 
changed ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Wilson, Jerry. July 10, 1863 ; taken prisoner at Croatan, N. C, 

May 5, 1864; died in prison at Andersonville, Ga., Sept. 4, 

1864. 



276 HISTORY OF THE 

Wilson, William. Oct. 10, 1863 ; in confinement at New Berne, 

N. C, sentence of court martial. 
Wood, Thomas. July 9, 1863; deserted Sept., 1863. 

Colored Under-Cooks. 

Augustus, Alfred. Nov. 11, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Augustus, Loudon. Nov, 11, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



COMPANY B. 



Captains. 

Allen G. Wright. Captain, Dec. 16, 1861 ; resigned, Jan. 14, 
1863. 

Isaac M. Potter. Private, Co. C, First Rhode Island Detached 
Militia, May 2, 1861 ; first lieutenant, Co. F, Third Rhode 
Island Heavy Artillery ; resigned to accept appointment as cap- 
tain Co. B, Fifth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Nov. 20, 1862 ; 
promoted to major, Feb. 27, 1865; not mustered; lieutenant- 
colonel, July 5, 1865 ; not mustered ; mustered out, June 26, 
1865. 

First Lieutenants. 

William W. Hall. First lieutenant, Dec. 16, 1861 ; resigned, 

Aug. 2, 1862. 
Thomas Allen. Promoted from sergeant, Co. E, Feb. 14, 1863 ; 

dismissed the service, Nov. 28, 1864. 
Christopher T. Pearce. Promoted from second lieutenant, Co. C, 

Dec, 1864; appointed captain, April 7, 1865; not mustered; 

mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Second Lieutenants- 

William W. Douglas. Second lieutenant, Dec. 16, 1861 ; pro- 
moted to first lieutenant, Co. D, June 7, 1862. 

Benjamin L. Hall. Promoted from first sergeant, Co. E, June 7, 
1862 ; promoted to captain, Co. H, Dec. 13, 1862. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HKAVV ARTII.I.KKY. 277 

George H. Pierce. Nov. 22, 1862; promoted to first lieutenant, 
Co. C, May 21, 1863. 

Henrt B. Bateman. May 21, 1863 ; promoted from sergeant, Co. 
G ; transferred to Co. G, P'eb. 15, 1864. 

George F. Turner. Oct. 16,1862; transferred from Co. G; 
transferred to Co. H. 

Levi L. Burdon. Feb. 15, 1864; transferred from Co. F; re- 
signed and discharged on account of disability, Sept. 30, 1864. 

Sergeants. 

James Gregg. Private, Co, B, First Rhode Island Detached Mili- 
tia, May 2, 1861 ; first sergeant, Co. B, Fifth Rhode Island 
Heavy Artillery, Oct, 22, 1861 ; second lieutenant, Co. C, June 
9, 1862. 

Charles E. Douglass. Private, Co. A, First Rhode Island De- 
tached Militia, May 2, 1861 ; sergeant Co. B, Fifth Rhode Isl- 
and Heavy Artillery, Oct. 8, 1861 ; second lieutenant, Co. F, 
Feb. 14, 1863. 

John H. Robinson. Private, Co. G, First Rhode Island Detached 
Militia, May 2, 1861 ; sergeant, Co. B, Nov. 9, 1861 ; pro- 
moted to first sergeant; captain, Co. G, Feb. 14, 1863. 

Lorenzo V. Ludwig. Nov. 12, 1861 ; died of typhoid fever at 
Fort Macon, N. C, April 24, 1862 ; buried in National Ceme- 
tery at New Berne, N. C. 

Samuel W. Buj?bank. Private, Co. B, First Rhode Island Detached 
Militia, May 2, 1861 ; sergeant, Co. B, Fifth Rhode Island 
Heavy Artillery, Dec. 2, 1861 ; first sergeant ; remustered as a 
veteran, Jan. 2, 1864; promoted second lieutenant, June 26, 
1865, not mustered ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

William E. Adams. Corporal, Oct. 14, 1861 ; sergeant ; remus- 
tered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Henry F. Card. Corporal, Nov. 13, 1861 ; promoted to sergeant; 
remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; mustered out. June 26, 
1865. 

James Norris. Corporal, Nov. 4, 1861 ; sergeant, June 27, 1862 ; 
discharged for disability, March 18, 1864. 



278 HISTORY OF THE 

Francis C, Gardiner. Private, April 2, 1863 ; promoted to ser- 
geant ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Oscar R. Livingston. Private, Sept. 10, 1863 ; sergeant ; hon- 
orably discharged, July 20, 1864, to accept appointment as 
captain in Co. K, Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery ; 
mustered out, Oct. 2, 1865. 

William H. Easterbrooks. Private, Nov. 11, 1861 ; remustered 
as a veteran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; sergeant, Jan. 23, 1864 ; mustered 
out, June 26, 1865. 

Corporals, 

Richard E. Barden. Oct. 28, 1861; discharged; appointed sec- 
ond lieutenant ; commission revoked and cancelled by Gov. 
Sprague, Feb. 20, 1862. 

Leonard B. Barrus. Oct. 17, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, 
Jan. 2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

William L. Collins. Oct. 10, 1861 ; mustered out Nov, 21, 1864. 

George J. Smith. Oct. 24, 1861 ; discharged for disability. May 
5, 1863. 

Adam Scott. Nov. 16, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, .Jan. 2, 
1864 ; corporal, April 22, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

John Austen. Private, Oct. 14, 1861 ; corporal ; remustered as a 
veteran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Archibald Bell. Private, Nov. 27, 1861 ; corporal, June 26, 
1862 ; discharged for disability, Sept. 12, 1862. 

Henry F. Sherman. Private, Oct. 22, 1861 ; corporal, June 26, 
1862; mustered out, Nov. 21, 1864. 

William Grant. Private, Aug. 5, 1863 ; corporal, Jan. 1, 1865 ; 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

James Lowrey. Private, Oct. 11, 1861 ; corporal; discharged for 
disability, April 15, 1863. 

Edward M. Meigs. Private, Dec. 6, 1861 ; remustered as a vet- 
eran, Jan. 2, 1864; corporal, Sept. 1, 1864; mustered out, 
June 26, 1865. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTII.LEKY. 279 

Owen Smith. Private, Oct. 15, 180 1 ; remustered as a veteran, 
Jan. 2, 1864; corporal, April 22, 1864; mustered out, .June 
26, 1865. 

Gardiner W. Sisson. Private, Dec. 10, 1801 ; remustered as a vet- 
eran, Jan. 2, 1864; corporal, same date; mustered out, .June 
26, 1865. 

George E. Wilkinson. Private, Oct. 9,1802; remustered as a 
veteran, Jan. 2, 1804 ; corporal, same date ; mustered out, 
June 26, 1805. 

Thomas F. Cahill. Private, Oct. 12, 1801; corporal; remustered 
as a veteran, .Jan. 2, 1864; mustered out, June 20, 1865. 

Mark A. Handy. Private, Oct. 19, 1861 ; remustered as a vete- 
ran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; corporal, Jan. 2, 1864; mustered out, June 

26, 1805. 

Musicians. 

George Alger. Dec. 10, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 
1804 ; mustered out, June 20, 1805. 

James McIntyre. Oct. 19, 1801 ; discharged for disability. May 

27, 1802. 

Privates. 

Adams, John. July 9, 1803; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Anderson, Thomas. Aug. 5, 1803; mustered out. May 24, 1865, 

by order oC War Department. 
Austin, Charles H. Sept. 8, 1803; mustered out, June 20, 18,05. 
Aylesworth, William. Nov. 28, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 
Baggott, John. Oct. 23, 1801 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 

1804; mustered out, June 20, 1805. 
Blackmar Henry. Dec. 4, 1801 ; discharged for disability. 
Brahee, George. July 9, 1803 ; mustered out, June 20, 1865. 
Brannigan, Daniel. Aug. 25, 1803 ; mustered out, June 20, 1865. 
Brayley, Isaac. Dec. 16, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, .Jan. 2, 

1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



280 HISTOUY OF THK 

Brightman, Francis T. Oct. 8, 1861; discharged July 5, 1864, 

for disability from hospital at Portsmouth Grove, R. I. 
Brown, John. July 9, 1863 ; drowned while bathing in the Neuse 

River, Aug. 15, 1863 ; buried at National Cemetery, New 

Berne, N. C. 
Bullock, James F. Oct. 8, 1861; wagoner; mustered out, Jan. 

1, 1865. 
Clakkic, James. Aug. 1, 186S ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 

27, 1864. 

Clough, Robert. Nov. 30, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 

28, 1862. 

CoNGERELT, John. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
CouBETT, "William. Sept. 15, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Cornell, Charles H. July 27, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
CuLLEN, Hugh. July 8, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
CuMERFORD, Heury. July 10, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
CoY'LE, Patrick. Jan. 4, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Davis, John. July 8, 1863 ; mustei*ed out, Juue 26, 1865. 
Dennison, Jeremiah. Aug. 28, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 
Derwin, Owen. Sept. 24, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Dillon, William H. Nov. 15, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, 

Jan. 2, 1864 ; deserted while on furlough, Nov. 23, 1864. 
Donagan, Edward. Oct. 10, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 21, 1864. 
Donnelly, Robert. Oct. 9, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 21, 1864. 
Donovan, Thomas. July 8, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Fawnsworth, David. Oct, 11, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, 

Jan. 2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Faknsworth, Robert. Oct. 11, 1861 ; discharged for disability. 
Ferrent, Peter. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1365. 
Fish, Eugene A. Oct. 16, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 

1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Flood, John. Oct. 19, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 

1864; died Nov. 26, 1864, in hospital. Soldiers' Depot, New 

York City. 
Franklin, John. Nov. 18, 1861 ; discharged for disability, March 

26, 1863. 



FIFTH KHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTIl.LKKY. 281 

Frazier, Thomas. Dec. 16, 18G1 ; discharged for disability, June 

26, 1863. 
Gavin, Patrick. Nov. 16, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 

1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Greene, Jeremiah. Oct. 12, 1861 ; remastered as a veteran, Jan. 

2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Grimshavt, John. Oct. 23, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 

2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Hanley, Daniel. Oct. 19, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 

1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Harrington, James. Nov. 5, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 

28, 1862. 
Hassett, William. July 8, 1863 ; absent in hospital, New Berne, 

N. C, since Nov. 3, 1864. 
Hastie, William A. Dec. 2, 1861 ; transferred from Co. C ; mu- 
sician ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; mustered out, 

June 26, 1865. 
Hanz, Lawrence. Not accounted for on rolls. 
Hazard, Albert. Oct. 15, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 

1864 ; mustered out, June 2G, 1865. 
Held, Jacob. Aug. 22, 18G3 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Hilton, Jonathan. Nov. 26, 1861 ; discharged. 
Hopkins, George W. Nov. 14, 1861 ; died March 15, 1862, of 

wounds received at the Battle of New Berne. 
Johnson, James. Aug. 15, 1863 ; deserted from Fort Spinola, 

New Berne, N. C, Aug. 6, 1864. 
Jones, Peter J. July 8, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Kelley, Michael. Oct. 14, 1861 ; discharged. 
Kennedy, Alexander. Nov. 4, 1861; discharged for disability, 

Aug. 28. 1862. 
Kinder, William. Nov. 26, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 29, 1864. 
Lake, Jonathan. Dec. 13, 1861 ; transferred to Invalid Corps, 

New York, Nov. 22, 1863. 
Lang, Thomas. Oct. 15, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 

1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Lawton, William J. Oct. 14, 1861 ; died of typhoid fever at 

New Berne, N. C, Aug. 2.S, 1862; buried in National Ceme- 
tery at New Bei-ne. 



282 HISTORY OF THE 

Le Valley, Cromwell. Oct. 14, 1861 ; discliarged for disability, 

Sept. 12, 1862. 
Lindsay, John P. Nov. 25, 1861 ; discliarged for disability at 

Washington, D. C, July 6, 1864. 
Lindsay, William F. Oct. 14, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, 

Jan. 2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
LiscoMB, Byron D. Dec. 11, 1861 ; died at New Berne, N. C, 

Nov. 3, 1863 ; buried in National Cemetery at New Berne. 
Lynch, William. Sept, 3, 1863 : mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
McDermott, Michael. Oct. 23, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 

Aug. 28, 1862. 
McGann, Patrick. Oct. 15, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 

2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
McKeougii, John. Nov. 3, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Meyer, Henry, July 14, 1863 ; deserted from Fort Spinola, New 

Berne, N. C, Sept. 14, 1863. 
Mitchell, John C. Nov. 18, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 

2, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Murphy, Daniel. July8, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Murphy, Lawrence. Oct. 14, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, 

Jan. 2, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Norton, George. July 27, 1863 ; deserted, Sept. 14, 1863. 
Norman, Henry. July 9, 1863 ; deserted July 5, 1864 ; received 

permission to report before General Casey's Board of p]xamina- 

tion, April, 1864 ; failed to return. 
O'Brien, James. July 27, 1863 ; absent in confinement at Fort 

Macon, N. C, May 1, 1865; released from confinement, by 

special order War Dept., Feb. 2, 1866. 
O'Brien, John. Oct. 23, 1863; discharged July 23, 1865, at 

Portsmouth Gi'oye Hospital, R. I. 
O'Brien, Jeremiah. Oct. 21,1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 

2, 1864 ; deserted while on furlough ; dishonorably discharged 

and confined at hard labor for three years at Concord, N. H., 

State Prison. 
O'CoNNELL, Thomas. Sept. 25, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 



FIFTH RHODK ISLAND HIOAVV ARTILLKKV. 283 

O'Shea, Jeremiah. Nov. 12, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 

28, 1862. 
Owens, Hugh. Oct. 10, 1861 ; remastered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 

1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Perkins, Horace. Sept. 11, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Powers, James. Oct. 21, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 

1864 ; deserted Nov. 23, 1864, while on furlough. 
Redfern, Joseph. Oct, 13, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 21, 1864. 
Remington, George W. Nov. 12, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, 

Jan. 2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Ridgeway, George. Oct. 9, 1861 ; discharged for disability, June 

26, 1863. 
Riley, James. July 28, 1863 ; in confinement at Fort Macon, N. 

C, sentence General Court Martial, June, 1864 ; deserted from 

same, June 12, 1865. 
Ross, George D. Aug. 1, 1863 ; deserted from Fort Totten, N. C, 

Oct. 20, 1863. 
Savage, William. Dec. 2, 1861 ; discharged. 

SiiAWCROSS, David. Oct. 22, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 21, 1864. 
SiMPKiNS, Thomas. Dec. 4, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 

28, 1862. 
Smite, Samuel. July 29, 1863 ; died at New Berne, N. C, April 

25, 1864 ; buried in National Cemetery, New Berne, N. C. 
Tallman, William F, Sept. 12, 1862 ; deserted from Fort Totten, 

New Berne, N. C, Aug. 5, 1863. 
Troy, ^V"illiam. Sept. 7, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Warner, Chester, Oct. 25, 1861 ; discharged. 
Wilmarth, Horace. Oct. 11, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 

2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
AVhitney, Moses G. Dec. 9, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Sept. 

18, 1862. 
Wharton, George. July 27, 1863 ; deserted from Fort Totten, N. 

C, Sept. 19, 1863. 

Colored Under- Cooks. 
Atkinson, Esek. Feb. 1, 1865 ; mastered out Jinie 26, 1865. 
Atkinson, Irvin. Feb. 1, 1865 ; mustered out June 26, 1865. 



284 HISTORY OF the 

COMPANY C, 



Captains. 
James M. Eddy. Dec. 19, 1861 ; resigned, Aug. 6, 1862. 
William W. Douglas. Promoted from first lieutenant, Co. D, Feb. 
14, 1863 ; mustered out, Dec. 20, 1864. 

First Lieutenants. 

JohnE. Snow. Private, Co. A, First Rhode Island Detached Mil- 
itia, May 2, 1861 ; first lieutenant. Co. C, Fifth Rhode Island 
Heavy Artillery, Dec. 16, 1861 ; resigned Jan, 14, 1863. 

Leander a. Davis. Feb. 19, 1863 ; promoted from second lieu- 
tenant ; resigned April 4, 1863. 

George H. Pierce. May 21, 1863; promoted from second lieu- 
tenant, Co. B ; transferred to Co. E, Feb. 7, 1865. 

Henry B. Bateman. Jan. 1, 186.'i ; promoted from second lieu- 
tenant, Co. G ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Second Lieutenants. 
George G. Hopkins. Dec. 16, 1861 ; promoted to first lieutenant, 

June 7, 1862, and assigned to Co. E. 
James Gregg. June 9, 1862; promoted from first sergeant, Co. B; 

promoted to captain, Co. A, Feb. 14, 1863. 
Leander A. Davis. Nov. 13, 1862 ; promoted from sergeant, Co. F. 
Christopher T. Pearce. Feb. 14, 1863 ; promoted from private, 

Co. G; promoted to first lieutenant, Co. B, Dec. 1, 1864. 

Sergeants. 

Henry B. Landers. Private, Co. F, First Rhode Island Detached 
Militia, May 2, 1861 ; first sergeant, Co. C, Fifth Rhode Island 
Heavy Artillery, Oct. 23, 1861 ; second lieutenant, Feb. 23, 
1862, and assigned to Co. E. 

William H. Durfee, Jr. Private, Co. F, First Rhode Island De- 
tached Militia, May 2, 1861 ; sergeant, Co. C, Fifth Rhode 
Island Heavy Artillery, Oct. 23, 1861 ; first sergeant, June 7, 
1862 ; promoted to second lieutenant, Co. A, Feb. 19, 1862. 



FIFTH KHODE ISI-AND HKAVV AKTILLKKV. 285 

William F. Tansey. Private, Co. G, First Rhode Island Detached 
Militia, May 2, 1861 ; sergeant, Co. C, Fiftli Rhode Island 
Heavy Artillery, Oct. 5, 1861 ; first sergeant, Feb. 1, 186:5; 
honorably discharged to accept appointment as first lieutenant in 
Co. K, March 15, 1864, Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Ar- 
tillery, (colored) ; mustered out, Oct. 2, 1865 ; drowned while 
returning to the north. 

Amos B. .Sherman. Oct. 23, 1861 ; remastered as a veteran, Jan. 
5, 1864; died at Newport, R. I., while on furlough, Oct. 9, 
1864. 
Walter H. Luther. Private, Co. G, First Rhode Island Detached 
Militia, May 2, 1861; sergeant, Co. C, Fifth Rhode Island 
Heavy Artillery, Oct. 18, 1861 ; first lieutenant, Co. D, Feb. 
14, 1863. 
Nathan H. Gleasox. Corporal, Oct. 9, 1861 ; sergeant, Feb. 18, 

1863 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
George H. Chase. Corporal, Oct. 24, 1861 ; sergeant, Feb. 18, 

1863; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
John Radakin. Corporal, Oct, 24, 1861 ; sergeant, June 7, 1863 ; 
remastered as a veteran, Jan. 5, 1861 ; promoted to second 
lieutenant, June 26, 1865, not mustered ; mastered out, June 
26, 1865. 
George H. Gladding. Musician, Oct. 23, 1861 ; sergeant, trans- 
ferred to Co. K. 
John H. East. Private, Aug. 4, 1863 ; corporal ; sergeant, Jnno 

1, 1865; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
John Horton. Private, July 29, 1863; corporal, Jan. 1, 1865; 

sergeant, June 1, 1865 ; mastered out, June 26, 1865. 
Luke Nyland. Oct. 24, 1861 ; remastered as a veteran, Jan. 5, 
1864; corporal; sergeant. Jan. 1, 1865; mustered out, June 
26, 1865. 
John F. Thacker. Private, Aug. 12, 1862; corporal; sergeant; 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Corporals. 
Thomas Hill. Oct. 22, 1861 ; discharged for disability, June 24, 
1863. 



286 HISTORY OF THK 

Thomas L, Boyden. Oct. 24, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 
March 26, 1863. 

Peter Cornell. Oct. 23, 1861 ; transferred to tlie Invalid Corps, 
Washington, D. C, March 2, 1864. 

Edward F. -Babbitt. Nov. 21, 1861 ; mastered out, Dec. 23, 
1864. 

Franklin E. Wilmarth. Private, Co. G, First Rhode Island De- 
tached Militia, May 2, 1861 ; on duty in commissary depart- 
ment; corporal, Co. C, Fifth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, 
Dec. 16, 1861 ; mustei-ed out, Dec. 23, 1864. 

George E. Allen. Private, Oct. 23, 1861 : corporal, Nov., 1862 ; 
mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864 ; private, Co. B, 2d Battalion 
15th U. S. Infantry; sergeant, 1865; discharged, Sept. 30, 
1868, from the 24th U. S. Infantry. 

Richard B. Blake. Private, Oct. 22, 1861; corporal; mustered 
out, Nov. 20, 1864. 

James L. Bicknell. Private, Oct. 22, 1861; corporal; mustered 
out, Nov. 20, 1864. 

James Burns. Private, July 29, 1863; corporal, Junel, 1865; 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Joshua C. Drown, Jr. Private, Dec. 16, 1861 ; corporal, June 7, 
1862 ; transferred to Co. A, as sergeant, Feb. 4, 1863. 

Benjamin F, Drown. Private, Nov. 4, 1861 ; corporal, June 7, 
1862 ; on detached service as clerk to Jno. M. King, captain 
and commissary of subsistence on Gen. Parke's staff, Hd. Qrs. 
3d Div. 9th Army Corps; returned to regiment, Nov., 1862; 
wounded in right shoulder at Battle of Whitehall, N. C, Dec. 
16, 1862 ; promoted to second lieutenant, April 22, 1864 ; not 
mustered; mustered out, Dec. 23, 1864. 

John M. Galliger. Private, Dec. 23, 1861 ; corporal ; remus- 
tered as a veteran, Jan. o, 1864; died at New ){erne, N. C, 
May 28, 1864 ; buriedin National Cemetery, New Berne, N. C. 

John Hazard. Private, Oct. 14, 1861 ; corporal ; mustered out, 
Nov. 20, 1864. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLEKY. 287 

Jekemiah T. Murphy. Private, Aug. 12, 18G2 ; corporal, .June 

1, 1865 ; mustered out, June 2G, 1865. 
Thomas Moran. Private, Aug. 4, 1863; corporal, June 1, 

1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
George W. S. Potter. Private, Nov, 18, 1862 ; transferred from 

Co. I, June 19, 1863 ; corporal, June 1, 1865; mustered out, 

June 26, 1865. 

Charles H. Whitford. Private, Nov. 20, 1861 ; remustered as a 
veteran, Jan. 5, 1864; corporal, June 1, 1865; mustered out, 
June 26, 1865. 

Frank H. Wixon. Private, Nov. 7, 1861 ; corporal, July 6, 
1863 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 

Horace Bollock, Oct. 24, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 
5, 1864; corporal, .June 1, 1865; mustered out, June 26, 
1865. 

Nelson King. Oct. 30, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 5, 
1864; corporal, .June 1, 1865; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

James Ryan. July 29, 1863; corporal, June 1, 1865; mustered 
out, June 26, 1865. 

Musicians. 

George W. Hoxie. Oct. 23, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 

5, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
George H. Gladding. Oct. 23, 1861 ; see sergeants. 

Privates. 
Aborn, Joseph R.* Oct. 25, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Adamson, John S. Oct. 25, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865.' 
Albert, Henry. July 27, 1863 ; deserted, Dec. 30, 1863. 
Allen, John M. Wagoner ; died in hospital at New Berne, N. C, 

Oct. 10, 1864, of yellow fever. 
Alonzo, Frank. July 8, 1863 ; desertfed, Oct., 1863. 
Austen, George P. Oct. 17, 1861 ; remustered at New Berne, 

Jan. 5, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Austin, James M. Nov. 11, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Banister, Wilson. Oct. 9, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Bassett, Franklin E. Aug. 22, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 



288 HISTORY OF THE 

Bolt, William. Deserted, Feb., 1864. 

BoYLAN, James. Oct. 29, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 

BoYLK, Edward. Oct. 14, 1861; discharged for disability, Aug. 

28, 1862. 
Bradbury, Samuel. Oct. 9, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Bray, William. Oct. 2, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 28, 

1862. 
Brown, Cyrus B. Nov. 18, 1861 ; mustered out. Nov. 20, 1864. 
Brussells, Thomas. Oct. 22, 1861 ; mustered out, Oct. 31, 1864. 
Burns, Thomas. Nov. 1, 1861 ; discharged for disability, June 4, 

1863. 
Calder, Charles. Oct. 17, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan 5, 

1864 ; mustered out, .June 26, 1865. 
Campbell, Thomas. Nov. 1, 1861 ; transferred to Co. E, Sept. 8, 

1862. 
Carr, John. July 29, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Carroll, Edward. July 8, 1863 ; discharged for disability, April 

24, 1864. 
Clark, Charles C. Oct. 21, 1861 ; died at New Berne, June 4, 

1862. 
Connor, George. July 2i, 1863 ; discharged by transfer to the 

navy, Sept. 27, 1864. 
Ckolley, James D. July 29, 1863 ; discharged by order of Gen. 

Butler to receive an appointment in the First North Carolina 

Infantry. 
CuRREN, Bartholomew. Nov. 6, 1861 ; discharged fur disability, 

March 26, 1863. 
Daily, John. July 8, 1863 ; deserted, Sept., 1863 ; shot to death 

at New Berne, N. C, Aug. 14, 1864; cause, desertion. 
Darling, Nelson. Nov. 2, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 5, 

1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Day, George. July 28, 1863 ; deserted, Oct. 13, 1863. 
Dean, George B. Oct. 24, 1861 ; died of typhoid fever at New- 
port Barracks, N. C, April 4, 1862 ; buried in National Cem- 
etery, New Berne, N. C. 
Doyle, Patrick, Oct. 19, 1861 ; discharged for disability at Hill's 

Point, N. C, Dec. 9, 1863. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 289 

Eliott, Thomas, Jr. Sept. 10, 1862 ; deserted at Providence, May 

1, 1863. 
Emersox, John G. Nov. 11, 1861 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
FiELDiXG, Pliilip. Oct. 11), 1861; died in Foster General Hos- 
pital, New Berne, N. C, Sept. 10, 1864. 
FiTzsni.MOXS, Mirtin. Oct. 2.5, 1831; discharged for disability, 

May 17, 1863. 
Fort, Irvine A. Oct. 16, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
Foster, John. Oct. 21, 1861; discharged for disability, March 

26, 1863. 
Fuazieu, Robert. Oct. 22, 1861; died at New Berne, N. C, 

Oct. 19, 1862; buried in National Cemetery, New Berne. 
Gorton, Charles A. Oct. 25, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Green, John. July 8, 1863 ; died in hospital at New Berne, N. 

C, of yellow fever. 
Hanley, James. Oct. 28, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
Hakxey, James. Aug. 8, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
HARiiiNaroN, Mark. Oct. 22, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
Hastie, William. Dec. 2, 1861; transferred to Co. B, Aug. 28, 

1862. 
HuTTON, John. Served in the British army ; was present at the 

siege of Sebastopol, and the battles of Inkennan and Alma ; 

private, Co. C, Fifth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, July 29, 

1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Jackson, James. July 28, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Johnson, James C. Oct. 18, 1861 ; mustered out. Nov. 20, 1864.- 
Kklly, John. Oct. 18, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20. 1864. 
Keegan, Patrick. Oct. 18, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Nov. 

20, 1864. 
Krans, Marcus. Aug. 16, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 1863. 
Leonard, Benjamin F. Nov. 14, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 

Sept. 13, 1862. 
Lynch, Martin. Aug. 4, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Mahoney, John. Oct. 23, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 

19 



290 HISTOKY OF THK 

Manchester, H. C. Oct. 15, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 

April 25, 1862. 
Martin, John. July 8, 1863 ; deserted to the enemy, Oct., 1863 ; 

released prisoner at Annapolis, Md., Dec. 1, 1864. 
McCarty, Michael. Oct. 14, 1861 ; discharged for disability. May 

7, 1862. 

McGowan, Martin. July 8, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Melville, Thomas D. Oct. 28, 1861 ; deserted at Beaufort, N. 

C, Sept. 6, 1862. 
Merchant, Curtis. Oct. 17, 1861 ; discharged for disability, May 

2, 1862. 
Morgan, Charles. July 28, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 

27, 1864. 

MuRPHV. Thomas. July 29, 1863 ; transferred to Tliird Regiment 

New Hampshire Volunteers, April 16, 1864. 
Murphy, Jeremiah. Oct. 21, 1861 ; died at Washington, N. C, 

Oct. 6, 1863. 
O'Leary, Timothy. Oct. 24, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Oct. 

28, 1862. 

PicCKiiAM, Charles H. Nov. 27, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 

June 13, 1862. 
Phillips, Thomas. Aug. 4, 1863 ; deserted, Sept., 1863. 
Place, Samuel G. Oct. 17, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Sept. 

13, 1862. 
Place, William K. Nov. 27, 1861 ; mustered out, Dec. 23, 1864. 
Pratt, James. July 8, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
RouRKE, Patrick. Oct. 27, 1861 ; died at Beaufort, N. C, Aug, 

8, 1864. 

Sanford, William A. Nov. 14, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 

1864. 
Shea, Daniel. Oct. 22, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
Sheedy, Thomas. Oct. 17, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
Simmons, James. July 29, 1863; deserted, Sept., 1863; returned, 

Dec. 2, 1863; shot to death at New Berne, N. C, Aug. 14, 

1864 ; cause, " desertion." 
Smith, Michael. July 8, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Smith, James. Aug. 5, 1863 ; deserted, Sept., 1863. 



FIFTH KHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTIM.ERV. 291 

Stevenson, Charles, July 28, 1863; deserted, Jan. 7, 18(i4. 
Sullivan, John. Oct. 16, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 

26, 1862. 
Sullivan, Patrick. Oct. 22, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
TiBBiTTS, John G. Nov. 20, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 

5, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Tripp, John. Oct. 22, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Sept. 13, 

1862. 
Wardwell, George A. Oct. 20, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, 

Jan. 5, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
AVarner, David E. Jr., Nov. 23, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 
Welch, Patrick. Aug. 4, 1863 ; deserted to the enemy, Oct., 

1863. 
Weidman, Joseph. Nov. 21, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Williamson, John. July 8, 1863; mustered out, June 26, x865. 
Williams, John. July 8, 1863 ; deserted Jan. 2, 1865, while on 

furlough. 
WiLMARTH, Andrew. Sept. 19, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 
Whitaker, John. Aug. 31, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Colored Under-Cooks. 
Davis, Henry. Feb. 25, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
LanCx, George. Feb. 25, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



292 HISTORY OF THE 



COMPANY D. 



Captains. 

George H. Guant. Ensign, Co. K, First Rhode Ishind Detached 
Militia, May 2, 1861 ; captain, Co. D, Fifth Rhode Island 
Infantry, Dec. 16, 1861 ; resigned, Aug. 6, 1862. 

James Moran. Second lieutenant, Third Rhode Island Heavy 
Artillery, Aug. 20, 1861 ; second lieutenant, Co. D, Fifth 
Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Nov. 5, 1861 ; commanded Co. 
A from Aug. 10 to Sept. 18, 1862; commanded Co. D from 
Sept. 26, 1862, till promoted captain of same, Feb. 14, 1863 ; 
mustered out, Jan. 12, 1865. 

First Lieutenants. 

Henry R. Pierce. Dec. 16, 1861 ; killed at Battle of New 
Berne, March 14, 18C2. 

William W. Douglas. June 7, 1862 ; promoted from second 
lieutenant, Co. B; promoted to captain, Co. C, Feb. 14, 1863. 

Walter H. Luthkr. Feb. 14, 1863 ; promoted from sergeant, 
Co. C; appointed captain, Dec. 22, 1864; not mustered ; mus- 
tered out, June 26, 1865. 

Second Lieutenants. 

James Moran. As above. 

Christopher W. Rowland. Promoted from private, Co. A, 
Twelfth Rhode Island Infantry, for gallantry at the first Battle 
of Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862; assigned to Co. D, Fifth 
Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Feb. 14, 1863; promoted to 
first lieutenant and adjutant, Jan. 1, 1865. 

Sergeants. 
Charles C. Greene. Private, Co. K, First Rhode Island De- 
tached Militia, May 2, 1861 ; first sergeant, Co. D, Fifth 
Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Nov. 19, 1861 ; remustered as 
a veteran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; promoted to first lieutenant, March 1, 
1865 ; not mustered ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTII.LKllY. 293 

Henry P. Williams. Nov. 19, 1861 ; promoted to first lieuten- 
ant, Co. H, Feb. 14, 1863. 

Amos P. Boyden. Private, Co. K, First Rhode Island Detached 
Militia, May 2, 1861 ; sergeant, Co. D, Fifth Rhode Island 
Heavy Artillery, Oct. 30, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 26, 1864. 

Charles H. Smith. Private, Co. E, First Rhode Island Detached 
Militia, May 2, 1861 ; sergeant, Co. D, Fifth Rhode Island 
Heavy Artillery, Dec. 5, 1861 ; promoted to first sergeant, Co. 
K, March 2, 1863. 

Joseph G. Haven. Nov. 27, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 
2, 1864 ; died at New Berne, N. C, June 1, 1865, of apoplexy. 

Robert S. Gaskill. Corporal, Nov. 23, 1861 ; sergeant, 1862 ; 
promoted to first lieutenant Co. H, Fourteenth Rhode Island 
Heavy Artillery (colored), Dec. 21, 1863; mustered out, Oct. 
2, 1865. 

William II. Chenery. Private, Dec. 11, 1861 ; corporal, May 1, 
1862 ; sergeant, June 13, 1863 ; promoted to first lieutenant, 
Co. F, Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (colored), 
Dec. 21, 1863 ; mustered out, Oct. 2, 1865. 

George W. Ford. Private, Dec. 16, 1861 ; corporal, 1862; ser- 
geant, Jan. 2. 1864; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 1864; 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

James E. Bowen. Private, Nov. 14, 1861 ; remustered as a vete- 
ran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; sergeant, Jan. 7, 1864 ; mustered out, June 
26, 1865. 

Joseph Martin. Private, Nov. 19, 1861 ; corporal ; remustered as 
a veteran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; sergeant, March 16, 1865 ; mustered 
out, Jiuie 26, 1865. 

Corporals. 

Henry Eddy. Nov. 19, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Feb. 7, 
1863. 

Adam Hargraves. Oct. 15, 1861; reduced to the ranks ; remus- 
tered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 1864; deserted while on furlough, 
Nov. 23, 1864; returned March 23, 1865; mustered out, 
June 26, 1865. 



294 HISTORY OF THE 

Thomas H. Swketland. Private, Co. G, First Rhode Island De- 
tached Militia, May 2, 1861 ; discharged Aug. 2, 1861 ; cor- 
poral Co. D, Fifth Rliode Island Heavy Artillery, Oct. 17, 
1861 ; discharged for disability, Feb. 20, 1863 ; re-enlisted in the 
navy Dec. 10, 1863 ; mustered out Aug. 1, 1865 ; re-enlisted as 
private, Co. D, Twenty-sixth United States Infantry, April 6, 
1866 ; promoted to first sergeant, May, 1868 ; mustered out, 
April 5, 1869. 

Alonzo W. Pickering. Oct. 21, 1861; remustered as a veteran, 
Jan. 2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Patrick H. Costigan. Sept. 6, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 
12, 1864, and promoted to sergeant. 

Thomas Lloyd. Nov. 19, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 
2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Edward Southwick. Nov. 19, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 26, 
1864. 

Edward Spencer. Oct. 31, 1861 ; discharged for disability, at 
Boston, Mass. 

Henry B. Hall. Private, Dec. 3, 1861 ; corporal ; mustered out, 
Dec. 31, 1864. 

Andrew J. Smith. Private, Dec. 14,1861; corporal ; transferred 
to Veteran Reserve Corps, June 20, 1864 ; mustered out, Dec. 
16, 1864. 

Dennis Sweeney. Private, Nov. 19, 1861; corporal; mustered 
out, Dec. 31, 1864. 

Henry H. Parkhurst. Private, Oct. 15, 1861; corporal; re- 
mustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 
1865. 

Charles A. Sherman. Nov. 21, 1861; corporal; mustered out, 
Nov. 26, 1864. 

John Brown. Private, Aug. 3, 1863 ; corporal, July 10, 1864 ; 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Thomas Dunn, 1st. Private, Nov. 29, 1861 ; mustered as a vet- 
eran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; corporal, mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTILLEHY. 295 

Michael Gray. Private, Oct. 18, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, 
Jan. 2, 1864 ; corporal, July 10, 1864 ; mustered out. June 26. 
1865. 

Thomas Dunn, 3d. Private, July 10, 1863; corporal; June 26, 
1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1885. 

Musicians. 

James Carroll. Oct. 15, 1861; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 

1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
George D. Haynes, Nov. 19, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, 

Jan. 2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

"Wagoners. 

George W. Scott. Oct. 15, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 

April 27, 1864. 
Barney Mahan. Sept. 20, 1862 ; transferred from Co. H, Feb. 

9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Privates. 

Aldrich, Edward M. Oct. 30, 1861 ; deserted, date unknown. 
Aylesworth, John. Oct. '22, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 26, 1864. 
Ballou, Ira. Dec. 11, 1861 ; mustered out, Dec. 31, 1864. 
Ballou, James. Nov. 25, 1861 ; wounded in trenches in front of 

Fort Macon, N. C, April, 1862; discharged for disal)ility, 

Sept. 26, 18^2. 
Barr, George A. Aug. 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1.S65. * 
Bicknell, Mumford. Nov. 28, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, 

Jan. 2, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Billings, Thomas E. Dec. 11, 1861; discharged for disability, 

at Fort Macon, N. C, June 1, 1862. 
Blake, James. Dec. 11, 1861; broke from jail Beaufort, N. C, 

and deserted, Aug. 6, 1862. 
Borden, Thomas. Nov. 22, 1861; mustered out, Nov. 2G, 1864. 
Brady, Michael. July 3, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
BuDLONG, William F. Oct. 16, 1861; discharged for disability, 

March 26, 1863. 



296 HISTORY OF THE 

Callahan, Patrick. Nov. 21, 1861 ; remastered as a veteran, 

Jan. 2, 1864 ; drowned, March 26, 1865, at New Berne, N. 

C. While crossing the Neuse River the boat upset, and, in 

endeavoring to rescue some of his companions who could not 

swim, he was seized with cramps and drowned. 
Campbell, John. Nov. 19, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Feb. 

20, 1863. 
Campbell, Joseph. Dec. 22, 1861 ; deserted, July 5, 1863 ; 

joined from desertion, April 16, 1865 ; again deserted, June 8, 

1865. 
Clough, George H. Oct. 15, 1861 ; remnstered as a veteran, Jan. 

2, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Cobb, Daniel, Jr. Nov. 22, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 26, 1864. 
Collins, David. Aug. 29, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Devitt, William M. July 31, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
DoNOHUE, John. July 10, 1863; transferred to the navy, Sept. 

27, 1864. 
Dunn, John. Nov. 27, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 

1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Dunn, Thomas, 2d. Dec. 20, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 

2, 1864; deserted while on furlough, Nov. 23, 1864. 
Everett, Charles H. Nov. 27, 1861 ; transferred as a musician 

to Co. H, March 2, 1863. 
Gavidneii, Tliaddeus. July 29, 1863 : died at Fort Amory, New 

Berne, N. C, Oct. 19, 1863; buried in National Cemetery, 

New Berne, N. C. 
Gaskill, Otis. Dec. 3, 1861 ; discharged for disability at Fort 

Macon, N. C, May 19, 1862. 
Goodrich, Charles A. Dec. 11, 1861; mustered out, Dec. 31, 

1864. 
Gray, Patrick H. Nov. 8, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 

2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Gray, Thomas J. Oct. 15, 1861 ; discharged for disability. Sept, 

13, 1862. 
Hapgood, Alonzo. Oct. 22, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 

2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Haskell, Abner, Jr. Dec. 9, 1861 ; died in hospital at New 

Berne, N. C, Oct. 10, 1864, of yellow fever. 



FIFTH RHODK ISLAND HKAVY AUTII.LKKY. 297 

Hopkins, Ephraim. Nov. 28, 1861 ; reraustered as a veteruti, Jau. 

2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Hopkins, George H. A. Dec. 4, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 

Sept. 12, 1862. 
Hopkins, William A. Dec. 4, 1861 ; transferred to Veteran Re- 
serve Corps, June 20, 1864; discharged at Beaufort, N. C, 

Dec. 16, 1864. 
Hughes, Thomas. Oct. 17, 1861 ; remnstered as a veteran, Jan. 

2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
JiLLSON, Arlon. Oct. 15, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 26, 1864. 
Kendrick, John. Oct. 29, 1864 ; transferred to Co. I. 
Kempton, Ezra. Dec. 4, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 

28, 1862. 
Knight, Charles. Aug. 1, 1863; discharged by order of Gen. 

Peck, Sept. 18, 1863. 
Larkin, John. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Marsh, Willard. Dec. 2, 1861 ; mustered out, Dec. 31, 1864. 
McBride, James. Nov. 30, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Nov. 

21, 1862. 
McCaffrey, Andrew. Nov. 19, 1861 : discharged for disability, 

Sept. 15, 1862. 
McCanna, Hugh. Dec. 5, 1861 ; mustered out, Dec. 31, 1864. 
McCarty, John. July 14, 1863; deserted at New Berne, N. C. 

Nov. 20, 1863. 
McDermot, Edward, July 31, 1863; transferred to the navy, 

Sept. 27, 1864. 
McDonol'GH, Thomas. Nov. 23, 1861 ; deserted at New Berije, 

N. C, Oct. 31, 1863. 
McMahon, Thomas. Dec. 16, 1861: mustered out, Dec. 31, 

1864. 
Meagher, Dennis. Dec. 16, 1861 ; broke jail at Beaufort, N. C, 

and deserted, Aug. 6, 1862. 
Miniter, Patrick. July 10, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Moore, Charles. Nov. 13, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jau. 

2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
MOREHEAD, William. July 9, 1863; deserted to the enemy at 

Roanoke Island, N. C, Oct. 19, 1864. 



298 HISTORY OF THE 

Morrill, David C. Oct. 18, 1861 ; discharged for disability, April 

25, 1863. 

Murray, Patrick. Nov. 28, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 

28, 1862. 
Nixon, James. Oct. 21, 1861 ; discharged for disability, March 

26, 1863. 

O'CoNNELL, Owen. July 28, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

O'CoNNELL, William. Oct. 31, 1861; remustered as a veteran, 
Jan. 2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865, 

Owens, John. July 28, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Paine, Simon A. Oct. 15, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 
2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Pickering, Julius A. Oct., 21, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 
Jan. 31, 1863. 

Prior, Timothy. Oct. 22, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 26, 1864. 

Rose, Edward. Nov. 27, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2. 
1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Ryan, Thomas. Dec. 16, 1861 ; killed at the Battle of New Berne, 
March 14, 1862. 

Ryder, John. July 29, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Smith, James. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26^ 1865. 

Stewart, Cliarles. Aug. 1, 1863; drowned March 26, 1865, 
While crossing the Neuse River the boat upset, and, in endeav- 
oring to rescue some of his companions who could not swim, he 
was seized with cramps and drowned. 

Sullivan, George M. July 31, 1863 ; deserted ; sentenced by Gen- 
eral Court Martial to be shot ; commuted to confinement at 
Dry Tortugas. 

Thornton, Isaac A. Oct. 31, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 
2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Thorpe, William. Nov. 29, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 
2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Wallace, Patrick. Oct. 9, 1861 ; discharged for disability, May 
8, 1863 ; subsequently served in Co. B, Twenty-first Veteran 
Reserve Corps. 

White, James. Oct. 18, 1861 ; mustered out, Dec. 31, 1864. 

Wiggins, Patrick. Oct. 15, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 26, 1864. 



FIFTH KHODE ISLAND HKAVV AlMll.LKKY. 299 



COMPANY E. 



Captains. 

Job Arnold. Private, Co. C, First Rhode Island Detached Militia, 
Aug. 2, 1861 ; captain, Co. E, Fifth Rhode Island Heavy Ar- 
tilery, Dec. 16, 1861 ; promoted to lieutenant-colonel, Jan. 7, 
1863 ; commanded regiment as captain from Aug. 7, 1862, till 
the arrival of Colonel Sisson, Jan., 1863. 

George G. Hopkins. Feb. 14, 1863 ; promoted from first lieuten- 
ant, Co. E; mustered out, Dec. 22, 1864. 

First Lieutenants. 

James M. Wheaton. June 9, 1862 ; promoted from second lieu- 
tenant, Co. E; appointed adjutant, June 9, 1862. 

George G. Hopkins. June 7, 1862; promoted to captain, Feb. 
14, 1863. 

Emelius De Meulen. Had formerly seen service in the Italian 
army, under General Garibaldi. First lieutenant Co. H, Fifth 
Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Nov. 28, 1862 ; transferred to 
Co. E. Feb. 14, 1863 ; promoted to captain, Co. K, Aug. 2'), 
1863. 

Robert Thompson. April 17, 1863 ; transferred to Co. K. 

George C. Almy. Aug. 7, 1863; promoted to captain and com- 
missary of subsistence of volunteers; resigned, Oct. 22, 1864. 

George F. Turner. Aug. 31, 1864; promoted from second lieu- 
tenant, Co. H. ; died at New Berne, N. C, of yellow fever, 
Oct. 6, 1864. 

George H. Pierce. May 21, 1863 ; transferred from Co. C, Feb. 
7, 1865 ; mnstered out, June 26, 1865. 

Second Lieutenants. 
James M. Wheaton. Dec. 16, 1861 ; promoted to first lieutenant, 
Co. E, June 9, 1862. 



300 HISTORY OF THE 

Henry B. Landers. Feb. 20, 1862 ; promoted from first sergeant, 
Co. C ; promoted to captain, Co. H, Feb. 14, 1863. 

JosiAH D. Hunt. May 1, 1863; promoted from sergeant, Co. F, 
May 1, 1863; resigned, March 21, 1864. 

Sergeants. 

Benjamin L. Hall. Musician, Co. A, First Rliode Island De- 
tached Militia, May 2, 1861 ; first sergeant, Co. E, Fifth 
Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Dec. 16, 1861 ; promoted to sec- 
ond lieutenant, June 7, 1862, and assigned to Co. B. 

Charles Taft. Private, Co. E, First Rhode Island Detached 
Militia, May 2, 1861 ; sergeant, Co. E, Fifth Rhode Island 
Heavy Artillery, Oct. 30, 1861 ; first sergeant, June 7, 1862 ; 
first lieutenant, Co. I, Feb. 14, 1863. 

Edward L. Alvord. Oct. 16, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 
Dec. 1, 1862. 

Alfred Wild. Oct. 17, 1861; remustered as a veteran, Jan 2, 
1864 ; deserted while on furlough, Dec. 10, 1864. 

Dutek Johnson, Jr. Dec. 16,1861; promoted to first lieutenant, 
Co. A, Feb. 14, 1863. 

Thomas Allen. Corporal, Oct. 16, 1861 ; sergeant, June 7, 1862 ; 
first lieutenant, Co. B, Feb. 14, 1863. 

Daniel Dove. Corporal, Sept. 29, 1861 ; first sergeant; mustered 
out, Nov. 20, 1864. 

John R. Allen. Aug. 6, 1862 ; transferred from Co. F ; first ser- 
geant, Co. E, Feb. 1, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Thomas Rice. Private, Oct. 9, 1861; sergeant; mustered out, 
Nov. 20, 1864. 

David L. Rose. Private, Oct. 21, 1864 ; remustered as a veteran, 
Jan. 5, 1864; sergeant, Sept. 1, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 
1865. 

Solomon Wilcox. Private, Oct. 28, 1861; sergeant; remustered 
as a veteran, Jan. 5, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

George Dunlap. Private, Aug. 21, 1862; promoted to sergeant; 
missing in action at Plymouth, N. C, while on detached ser- 
vice on board gunboat Bonihsliell ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



Firm RHODK ISLAND HEAVY AUTILLEKY. 801 

Corporals. 

WiLMAM BovvEN. Oct. 22, 1861 ; discharged for disal)ility, INIay Ti, 
1863. 

Edwakd p. Springer. Sept. 7, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 
1864. 

Benjamin Glasby. Oct. 16, 1861 ; wounded at Battle of New 
Benie, March 14, 1862 ; discharged for disability, June 30, 
1863. 

Otis Bosworth. Sept. 8, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. o, 
1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Samuel H. Grimwood. Sept. 15, 1861 ; died at Fort Macon. N. 
C., May 22, 1862, of typhoid fever; buried in National Ceme- 
tery, at New Berne, N. C. 

John H. Peck. Djc. 22, 1861 ; discliarged for disability, Jan. 30, 
1863. 

Joseph Chase. Private, Oct. 26, 1861; remustered as a veteran, 
Jan. 2, 1861; corporal, July 5, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 
1865. 

Isaiah Crawford. Private, Nov. 19, LSlU'; corporal; mustered 
out, Nov. 21, 1864. 

George K. Davis. Private, Co. A, First Rhode Island Detatdied 
Militia, May 2,1861; private, Co. E, Fifth Rhode Island 
Heavy Artillery, Aug. 22, 1862; corporal; mustered out, June 
26, 1865. 

Nathan Durfee. Private, Dec. 19, 1861 ; remustered as a vete- 
ran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; corporal, Sept. 1, 1864 ; mustered out, June 
26, 1865. 

Charles H. Eddy. Private, Oct. 19, 1861; corporal; died at 
Washington, N. C, Oct. 18, 1863. 

James Hakley. Private, Oct. 15, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, 
Jan. 5, 1864; corporal, Feb. 1, 1865; mustered out, June 26, 
1865. 

Musicians. 

Orrin F. Kinnecom. June 10, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 186 T.. 



302 HISTORY OF THE 

Thomas Campbell. Nov. 1, 1861 ; trausferred from Co. C, Sept. 
8, 1862 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 5, 1864 ; mustered out, 
June 26, 1865. 

Wagoners. 

Curtis, Daniel W. Oct. 25, 1861 ; discharged for disability, June 

1, 1864. 
SissoN, Sliubael B. Aug. 28, 1862 ; transferred from Co. A, Feb. 

19, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Privates. 

Alexander, Whipple. Oct. 14, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 

1864. 
Angell, Benjamin R. Nov. 26, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 

Aug. 27, 186.3. 
Arnold, William. July 29. 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 

27, 1864. 
Atkins, Samuel G. Oct. 30, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Dec. 

1, 1862. 
Balcom, Ebenezer. Oct. 1, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 5, 

1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Barnes, Samuel A. Oct. 22, 1861 ; died at Fort Macon, N. C, 

June 23, 1862, of typhoid fever. 
Becton, Patrick. Oct. 11, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
Bourne, Isaac D. Oct. 8. 1861 ; died at Fort Macon, N. C, May 

24, 1862, of typhoid fever. 
Britton, Henry L. Oct. 10, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Feb. 

5, 1863. 
Barnes, Williams H. Aug. 4, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, 

Sept. 27, 1864. 
Brown, William N. Oct. 10, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 29, 1864. 
Bush, William. July 29, 1863; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27. 

1864. 
Callahan, Timothy. Dec. 20, 1864 ; discharged at Portsmouth 

Grove, R. I., July 8, 1865. 
Chase, Francis R. Oct, 14, 1861 ; died at New Berne, N. C, 

Aug. 23, 1863. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HKAVV AKTII.I.KUY. 303 

COMISKEY, John J. Dec. 12, 18G1 ; remiistered as a veteran, Jan. 

5, 1864 ; mustered out June 26, 1865. 
Connor, Thomas. July 29, 1863 : transferred to the naw, Sept. 

27, 1864. 

CooNEY, Thomas. Oct. 24, 1861 ; killed, Jan. 24, 1863, on rail- 
road ; buried in National Cemetery at New Berne, N. C. 
COSTEN, Francis P. Oct. 2'j, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 

28, 1862. 

DONNOCK, Thomas. Aug. 22, 1862; deserted, April 1, 1,S61. 
Douglas, Hugh. Aug, 3, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Duncan, William H. Oct. 16, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 

Aug. 28, 1862. 
Dyer, Edward. Aug. 3, 1863 ; tranferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
EccLES, Thomas. Oct. 8, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
FiKMAN, Michael D. Oct. 14, 1861 ; remastered as a veteran, Jan. 

5, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26. 1865. 
FiTZ. Edwin. July 28, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
French, George W. Nov. 5, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 

5, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Greatreaks, James W. Dec. 9, 1862 ; transferred from Co. H, 

April 1, 1863 ; discharged for disability, Dec. 23, 1863. 
Greene, Albert W. Oct. 8, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 

5, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Greenup, Charles E. Sept. 23, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 
Hall, Thomas. *Oct. 9, 1861; discharged for disability, March 

23, 1863. 
Handy, William. Oct. 14, 1861 ; discharged for disability. Aug. 

28, 1862. 
Henry, Lewis. Aug. 3, 1863 ; died in hospital at New Berne, N. 

C, Oct. 13, 1864, with yellow fever. 
Herne. Michael. Sept. 20, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Hill, Smith. Oct. 22, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 

1864; died at New Berne, N. C, May 19, 1865, of typhoid 

fever. 
HiLLMAN, Frederic. July 31, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



304 HISTORY OF THE 

Hilton, John. Aug. 3, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
HuMPHRKYS, Joseph H. Oct. 4, 1861 ; reinustered as a veteran, 

Jan. 5, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Hunt, Joseph S. Dec. 17, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Keach, George W. Oct. 7, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Sept. 

13, 1862. 
Leavitt, Herbert D. Nov. 1, 1861 ; promoted to sergeant and 

transferred to Co. H, Jan. 10, 1863 ; first sergeant. 
Livingston, John. Oct. 25, 1861 ; transferred to Co. A, Aug. 22, 

1862. 
Lyons, William. July 9, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Martin, Bernard. Oct. 21, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 

5, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Mathewson, Joseph W. Oct. 15, 1861 ; discharged for disability, 

June 6, 1862. 
McCabe, James. Oct. 8, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
McLane, James. Dec. 26, 1861 ; mustered out, Dec. 31, 1864. 
McFadden, William. July 29, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, 

Sept. 27, 1864. 
Millard, George C. Oct. 7, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
Miller, John. Oct. 7, 1861 ; died at New Berne, Aug. 22, 1863 ; 

buried in National Cemetery, New Berne, N. C. 
Miller, Walter. Dee. 10, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 

12, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Murray, John. July 31, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Murray, John. Oct. 7, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
Newby, Daniel. July 31, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Nutting, John W. Oct. 16, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Feb. 

6, 1863. 

O'Neil, James. Oct. 20, 1861 ; mustered out, Dec. 23, 1864. 
O'Neil, Patrick. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Okr, James. Oct. 27, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Palmer, John. Oct. 11, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 5, 
1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865, 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 305 

Peck, Edwin B. Oct. 22, 1861 ; died at Hatteras Inlet, Feb. i), 

1862, of typhoid fever. 
Potter, David R. Oct. 27, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
Rapi>, Benjamin E. Oct. 26, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, .Jan. 

2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Reeves, Henry I. Nov. 14, 1861 ; remvistered as a veteran, Jan. 

2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Rhodes, John H. July 28, 1863 ; honorably discharged to accept 

appointment in Third North Carolina Volunteers (colored). 
Rider, John. July 29, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Russell, Benjamin. Oct. 10, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
Rtak, John. Oct. 25, 1861 : died Jan. 8, 1862. 
Sanger, Charles A. Oct. 10, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, 

Jan. 2, 1864 ; mustered out, June 2G, 1865. 
Septon, George T. Nov. 26, 1861 ; discharged for disability at 

Carolina City, April 6, 1862. 
Schancy, Thomas. July 9, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Smith, Joseph, Oct. 21, 1861 ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 5, 

1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Smith, Richard. July 9, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Smith, William. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Stone, Charles. Dec. 21, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Tennant, James. , Nov. 1, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 

28, 1862. 
Tisdale, Samuel W. Oct. 10, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 1864. 
Tompkins, Charles H. Oct. 9, 1861 ; mustered out, Nov. 20, 

1864. 
Vallett, David. Dec. 16, 1861 ; discharged, Jan. 1, 1864. 
ViALL, Charles A. Dec. 16, 1861 ; first man wounded in the Burn- 
side Expedition, while on a reconnoissauce, in attempting to 

land on Roanoke Island ; discharged for disability. 
Walker, Francis. Nov. 19, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Dec. 

1, 1862. 

20 



306 HISTORY OF THE 

•Warner, Henry B. Oct, 14, 1861 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 

28, 1862. 
Whitman, Stephen. Oct. 8, 1861 ; discharged for disability, May 

25, 1862. 
Wilson, George. July 29, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Wilson, Thomas. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Colored Under-Cooks. 
Tkel, Ashley. Jan. 20, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Teel, Edward. Jan. 20, 1865; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



COMPANY F. 



Captain. 

William R. Landers. Feb. 14, 1863 ; promoted from first lieu- 
tenant, Co. G ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

First Lieutenants. 

Charles F. Gladding. Feb. 14, 1863 ; promoted from hospital 
steward ; transferred from Co. F, and appointed adjutant, Feb. 
28, 1864. 

James M. Wheaton. June 9, 1862 ; transferred from regimental 
stafif and the position of adjutant, Feb. 28, 1864 ; mustered out, 
Dec. 22, 1864. 

John B. Landers. Jan. 1, 1865 ; promoted from second lieuten- 
ant, Co. I ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Second Lieutenant. 
Charles E. Douglass. Feb. 14, 1863 ; promoted from sergeant 
of Co. B; mustered out, Dec. 22, 1864. 

Sergeants. 
Charles H. Snow. First sergeant, Aug. 21, 1862; mustered out, 

June 26, 1865. 
Samuel E. G. Richards. May 17, 1862; transferred to Co. I, 

June 20. 1863. 



FlUfl KHOUE ISLAND IIKAVY AKTII.l.KKV. 307 

John R. Allen. Aug. 6, 1862; transferred to Co. K. Jan. 1.3, 
1863. 

Francis Adams. Sept. 2, 1862; transferred to Co. M. Mav 1, 
1863. 

Leander a. Davis. June 10, 1862 ; promoted to second lieuten- 
ant, Co. C, Nov. 13, 1862. 

JosiAH D. Hunt. July 19, 1862 ; promoted to second lieutenant, 
Co. E, May 1, 1863. 

CoNSTANTiNE G. W. BisCHOFF. June -t, 1862 ; mustered out, June 
3, 1865. 

Frederic G. Davis. June 11, 1862; mustered out. June 26. 
1865. 

James Nichols. Aug. 14, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Henky E. Hubbard. Private, Aug. 14, 1862; corporal; ser- 
geant, P'eb. 16, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

James B. Horton. Corporal, Aug. 16, 1862; sergeant; mustered 
out, June 26, 1865. 

Michael DwiRE. Private May 27, 1862 ; sergeant; mustered out. 
May 19, 1865. 

Corporals. 

John M. Martin. Aug. 5, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Edward G. Anthony. May 14, 1862; discharged for (lisa!)ility, 
Dec. 1, 1862. 

ALBEiiT ViALL. Aug. 6, 1862 ; discharged for disability, duly 2;;.' 
1863. 

Robert H. White. Aug. 5, 1862; mustered out, June 26, ISC'). 

Walter W. Paull. July 31, 1862; died in hospital at New- 
Berne, N. C, July 22, 1863 ; buried in National Cemetery, at 
New Berne, N. C. 

John F. Baicer. Aug. 6, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 1.S65. 

Thomas F. Mahek. Aug. 12, 1862 ; discharged at New Berne, 
N. C, Aug. 25, 1864, to accept commission as captain in the 
First North Carolina Artillery (colored). 



308 HISTORY OF THE 

James B. Babbitt. Private, Aug. 27, 1862 ; corporal ; discharged 
at New Berne, N. C, Jan. 11, 1865, for promotion to second 
lieutenant. First North Carolina Heavy Artillery (colored). 

Peter Buck. Private, July 29, 1863; corporal; mustered out, 
June 26, 1865. 

"William Conklin. Private, July 9, 1863 ; corporal ; deserted, 
May 7, 1864. 

Francis Eaton. Private, Aug. 5, 1862 ; corporal, June 1,1865; 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Patrick Hayes. Private, Aug. 12, 1862 ; corporal ; sergeant-ma- 
jor, Jan. 1, 1865, aud transferred to non-commissioned staff. 

James H. Martin. Aug. 13, 1862; corporal, June 1, 1865; 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Patrick Ryan. Private, Sept. 9, 1862; corporal, June 1, 1865; 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Gdstave WiLHELM. Private, Aug. 16, 1862; corporal, June 1, 
1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Musicians. 

Pasco Haines, Jr. July 21, 1862; died at New Berne, N. C, 
Oct. 20, 1864, of yellow fever. 

Wagoner. 

George Redding. Aug. 16, 1863 ; died in regimental hospital at 
New Berne, N. C, Oct. 3, 1864, of yellow fever. 

Privates. 

Arnold, Albert F. Aug. 11, 1862; discharged for disability, 

March 15, 1863. 
Ashley, Joseph. July 30, 1862 ; discharged for disability, Sept. 

3, 1862. 
Barnes, Wilson D. May 19, 1862 ; transferred to navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Bates, George R, July 30, 1862 ; discharged for disability, June 

25, 1864. 
Black, Joseph. Aug. 4, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 309 

Brown, Charles. July 22, 1864 ; deserted, Dec. 10, 18t]4, while 

on march to Kinston, N. C. 
Brown, William S. July 22, 1862; discharged for disability, 

Sept. 3, 1862. 
Brug, Philip. Sept. 8, 1862 ; discharged for disability, June 18, 

1863. 
Bugbee, Leander W. May 19, 1862 ; died at New Berne, N. C, 

Oct. 16, 1864, of congestive chills and fever. 
BuRDON, Levi L. July 7, 1863 ; promoted to second lieutenant, 

Aug. 5, 1863, and assigned to Co. B. 
Burke, James C. Aug. 14, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Bdrhngame, John K. Aug. 14, 1S62 ; promoted to hospital stew- 
ard, Feb. 14, 1863 ; transferred to non-commissioned staff. 
Bush, James C. Ang. 12, 1862. 

Cady, Calvin L. Aug. 15, 1864; transferred from Co. K; mus- 
tered out, June 26, 1865. 
Cassidy, Thomas. May 27, 1862; mustered out, May 19, 1865, 

in accordance with Gen. Orders, No. 42, Hd-Qrs. Dept. of 

No. Carolina, May 10, 1865. 
Clark, Charles. July 27, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Clark, David. July 26, 1864; transferred to Co. G. 
Cole, Albert A. Aug. 14, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Collins, Peter. Aug. 3, 1863; deserted, Sept., 1863. 
Dailey, James. Aug. 8, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27i 

1864. 
Davis, Samuel. June 19, 1862; not accounted for on rolls. 
Dawson, Joseph H. July 27, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Day, James. July 27, 1863 ; deserted at New Berne, N. C, Aug. 

12, 1863. 
Degnan, James. Aug. 6, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Devine, John. Aug. 8, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Donnelly, John. July 30, 1862; discharged for disability, June 

20, 1865. 
Fanning, Patrick. Sept. 11, 1862; discharged at Portsmouth 

Grove, R. I., July 11, 1865. 
Farrington, Charles. July 27, 1863; transferred to the navy, 

Sept. 27, 1864. 



310 IIISTOKY OF THE 

Flinn, Patrick. Aug. 15, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Flynn, James. Aug. 5, 1863 ; deserted, Sept., 1863. 
Forbes, Thomas. May 19, 1862 ; mustered out. May 19, 1865. 
Fox, Frank. July 9, 1863; deserted at New Berne, N. C, May 

24, 1864. 
Gallagher, Peter. Aug. 8, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Gould, Edwin A, Aug. 8, 1862 ; died in hospital at New Berne, 

N. C, Dec. 10. 1862, of jaundice. 
Graham, George W. Aug. 8, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 

27, 1864. 
Green, James. Aug. 8, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Groves, John S. May 21, 1862 ; mustered out. May 19, 1865. 
Haines, Daniel T. Aug. 6, 1862 ; transferred to Co. G, Nov. 21, 

1862. 
Hait, Michael. Aug. 4, 1863 ; died in Foster General Hospital, 

New Berne, Nov. 10, 1863, of congestive fever. Buried in 

National Cemetery, New Berne, N. C. 
Hammond, Edward N. Aug. 6, 1862 ; deserted, July 22, 1863, 

while on furlough. 
Hanley, Michael. Sept. 10, 1862 ; discharged for disability at 

Lovell General Hospital, Portsmouth Grove, R. I., May 11, 

1864. 
Harrabine, Benjamin. Aug. 15, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 
Hoffman, AVilliam. Aug. 30, 1862 ; discharged for disability, 

Jan. 30, 1863. 
HoGAN, Michael. July 9, 1863 ; mustei-ed out, June 26, 1865. 
Holmes, Louis E. Aug. 14, 1862 ; discharged for disability, March 

1, 1863. 
HowLAND, Henry B, Aug. 5, 1862 ; discharged for disability, 

Sept. 3, 1863. 
Jenckes, Theodore J. Aug. 8, 1862; discharged for disability, 

Sept. 3, 1862. 
Jenkins, William C. Aug. 15, 1864; transferred from Co. K; 

mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Joy, Orrin. Aug. 5, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTILLERV. 311 

Kang, Lawrence. Sept. 6, 1862 ; deserted at New York, Sept. U, 

1862; rejoined from desertion, March 1, 1864; mustered out, 

June 26, 1865. 
King, James. July 29, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Knight, Cyril N. Aug. 15, 1862; discharged for disability at 

New York, June 1, 1864. 
Knight, Henry H. Aug. 14, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Levalley, Frederic H. Aug. 15, 1864; transferred from Co. K; 

mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Lloyd, Horace. July 29, 1863 ; deserted while on detached service 

at Norfolk, Va., May 15, 1864. 
McCaughin, Charles. June 11, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 
McElroy, Peter. Aug. 15, 1862; discharged for disability in 

Providence, Dec, 1863. 
Medbury', Horace A. Aug. 5, 1862 ; discharged for disability, 

Feb. 27, 1863. 
Monahan, John, June 5, 1862 ; mustered out, June 5, 1865. 
MoRAN, Charles W. Aug. 12, 1862 ; transferred to navy, Sept. 

27, 1864. 
MORRISSEY, John. July 29, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 

27, 1864. 
Murray, Edward. Aug. 6, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Ody, George. May 16, 1862 ; mustered out. May 15, 1865. 
Penno, William A. Aug. 5, 1862 ; discharged for disability, March 

2, 1863. 
Pine, Henry S. July 19, 1862; discharged for disability, Jan. 6, 

1863. 
Randall, Robert B. Aug. 19, 1864; transferred from Co. K; 

mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Reichwein, George. Sept. 6, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Reithel, Louis. Aug. 30, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Reynolds, John. June 10, 1862; mustered out, June 10, 1865. 
Robinson, Thomas M. Aug. 16, 1862; mustered out. June 26, 

1865. 
Ryan, John. July 29, 1863; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 



312 HISTOKY OF THK 

Ryan, William. Aug. 6, 1863 ; mustered out, Juue 26, 1865. 
Shelby, James. July 29, 1863 ; deserted, Sept. 10, 1863. 
Spencer, Henry. Aug. 5, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Sullivan, Dennis. July 29, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Sullivan, James. July 26, 1862 ; deserted, March 1, 1863. 
Sullivan, Cornelius. Aug. 18, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 
Sweet, James L. Aug. 14, 1862 ; discharged for disability, Nov. 

28, 1862. 
Sweet, Randall B. Aug. 5, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Taite, John W. Aug. 12, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Thornton, Richard B. Aug. 18, 1864; transferred from Co. K ; 

mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Walsh, Michael. July 9, 1863 ; discharged for disability, Nov. 

23, 1863. 
Williams, Henry. July 9, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 

27, 18C3. 
Wilson, George. July 29, 1863; deserted, Sept., 1863. 
Wilson, Buchan. June 7, 1862 ; died in Foster General Hospital, 

at New Berne, N. C, Oct. 26, 1863, of congestive fever. 
Wright, Thomas. June 3, 1862; died in hospital at New Berne, 

N. C, Oct. 30, 1862, of consumption; buried in National 

Cemetery at New Berne. 
Young, Charles. July 29, 1863 ; deserted, Dec. 1, 1863. 

Colored Under-Cooks. 
Lewis, Noah. Oct. 81, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
McPherson, George. Oct. 31, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



FIFTH KIIODK ISLAND IllCAVV AIMII.LKUY. 313 

COMPANY G. 



Captains. 
Jonathan M. Wheeler. Oct. 16, 1862 ; resigned, Jan. 26, 1863. 
John H. Robinson. Feb. 14, 1863; promoted from sergeant, 
Co. B ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

First Lieutenants. 
William R, Landers. First lieutenant, Co. L, Ninth Rhode Island 
Infantry, May 26, 1862 ; iirst lieutenant, Co. O, Fifth Rhode 
Island Heavy Artillery, Oct. 16, 1862; promoted to captain, 
Co. F, Feb. H, 1863. 

Edward F. Angell. Feb. 14, 1863; promoted from sergeant, 
Co. A; transferred to Co. H, June 15, 1865. 

Second Lieutenants- 
George F. Turner. Oct. 16, 1862; transferred to Co. B. 
Charles E. Beers. Feb. 14, 1863 ; promoted from commissary 
sergeant ; resigned and honorably discharged the service on ac- 
connt of physical disability, Dec. 21, 1863. 
Henry B. Bateman. May 21, 1863 ; transferred from Co. B, Feb. 
15, 1864; promoted to first lieutenant, Jan. 1, 1865, and as- 
signed to Co. C. 

Sergeants. 

John B. Landers. Private, Co. F, First Rhode Island Detached 
Militia, May 2, 1861 ; wounded at Battle of Bull Run, July 
21, 1861 ; first sergeant, Co. G, Fifth Rhode Island Heavy 
Artillery, Oct. 10, 1862 ; promoted to second lieutenant, Co. 1. 
April 10, 1863. 

Henry B. Bateman. Sept. 27, 1862 ; promoted to second lieuten- 
ant, Co. B, May 21, 1863. 

Pardon P. Vaughn. Aug. 21, 1862; first sergeant; mustered 
out, June 26, 1865. 

William W. Wales. Oct. 11, 1862; discharged at Portsmoutli 
Grove, R. I., July 15, 1865. 



314 HISTORY OF THE 

Charles M. Griffin. Oct. 6, 1862 ; discharged at Providence, R. 

I., July 8, 1865. 
Robert Vinton. Corporal, Sept. 13, 1862; sergeant; discharged 

at Portsmouth Grove, R. I., July 15, 1865. 

Corporals. 

Richard A. Brown. Aug. 11, 1862; promoted to commissary 
sergeant, May 28, 1863. 

Peter Coyle. Oct. 1, 1862 ; deserted, April 9, 1863. 

Edward Header. Oct. 1, 1862; deserted, March 17, 1863. 

John H. Vanderberg. Oct. 1, 1862; deserted, March 17, 1863. 

Peter Gleason. Sept. 13, 1862 ; transferred to the Marine Corps, 
April 26, 1865, from which he had deserted. 

Michael Ryan. Sept. 19, 1862; deserted, July 10, 1863; con- 
fined at " Rip Raps " for the period of five years from Sept. 23, 

1863 ; sentence remitted. May 16, 1864 ; in hospital at Ports- 
mouth Grove, R. I., June 20, 1865. 

William H. Harris. Sept. 19, 1862; transferred to the navy, 

Sept. 27, 1864. 
Timothy McCarty. Sept. 9, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Oliver Bradford. Private, July 8, 1863 ; corporal ; deserted, 

Dec. 4, 1863. 
John S. Jackson. Private, July 9, 1863 ; corporal ; mustered out, 

June 26, 1865. 
John S. Kelley. Private, July 29, 1863 ; corporal, Dec. 30, 

1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

John Neil. Private, July 3, 1863; corporal; transferx'ed to the 

navy, Sept. 27, 1864. 
George Vath. Private, Oct. 14, 1862 ; corporal, Feb. 16, 1865 ; 

mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Louis J. West. Private, July 27, 1863 ; corporal ; mustered out, 

June 26, 1865. 

Musician. 

Daniel T. Haines. Aug. 6, 1862; transferred from Co. F; mus- 
tered out, June 26, 1865. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTII.LEKY. 315 

Wagoner. 
Benjamin N. Burgess. Private, Co. A ; transferred to Co. G, 
and appointed wagoner, Feb. 19, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 
1865. 

Privates. 

Abstein, John. July 29, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Anderson, Robert. Sept. 26, 1862 ; deserted, Aug. 5, 1863. 
Aylesworth, Henry P. Aug. 21, 1862; mustered out. May 31, 

1865. 
Bammon, Martin. Oct. 1, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Black, William. Aug. 5, 1863 ; discharged for disability, March 

12, 1864. 
Boyd, Samuel E. Oct. 11, 1862; discharged for disability, April 

26, 1863. 

Bradford, Oliver. July 8, 1863 ; deserted, Dec. 4, 1863. 

Braley, Samuel. Oct. 3, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Brink, John. Aug. 5, 1863 ; mustered out at U. S. General Hos- 
pital, Newark, N. J., July 22, 1865. 

Brixton, Charles. Sept. 22, 1862; deserted, March 17, 1863. 

Brown, John. July 10, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 
1864. 

Burgess, William. July 9, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 

27, 1864. 

Bushing, Frederick. Oct. 11, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Carpenter, James. July 31, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Chace, John C' Sept. 7, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Clark, David. July 26, 1864, transferred from Co. F; mustered 

out, June 26, 1865. 
Collins, Peter. Aug. 3, 1863; deserted, Sept., 1863. 
Collins, Thomas. July 8, 1863; deserted. May 21, 1864. 
Connelly, John. Sept. 24, 1862; transferred to the navy. May 

17, 1864. 
Connor, Martin. Aug. 5, 1863 ; discharged for disability. May 

31, 1864. 
Dawson, Christopher. July 31, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 
DOHERTY, Daniel. Sept. 12, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
DoHERTY, Pliilip. Sept. 20, 1«62; mustered out, ,Imic 26. 1865. 



316 HISTORY OF THE 

Dose, Louis. July 8, 1863 ; deserted at New York, while on fur- 
lough, March 11, 1864. 
DuNiVEN, Dennis. July 8, 1863 ; absent in confinement at Fort 

Macon, N. C, June 26, 1865 ; released from confinement and 

mustered out, Feb. 2, 1866. 
Flanigan, John. July 29, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. , 
Flynn, James. Aug. 5, 1863 ; deserted, Sept. 3, 1863. 
Gerzhein, George. Oct, 12, 1862 ; absent, sick in Foster General 

Hospital, June 20, 1865 ; discharged at Portsmouth Grove, 

R. I., July 15, 1865. 
Greene, Albert C. Sept. 20, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Harris, William. Aug. 4, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 

27, 1864. 
Harrison, Joseph. July 31, 1863; deserted at New York, Jan. 

17, 1864, while on furlough. 
Hart, Joseph M. Sept. 29, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Howard, Henry. July 9, 1863 ; deserted, Aug. 23, 1863. 
IvERS, Daniel. Oct. 7, 1862 ; died in General Hospital at New 

Berne, N. C, May 26, 1863 ; buried in National Cemetery, at 

New Berne, N. C. 
Jennerson, Charles. July 26, 1864 ; absent sick in General Hos- 
pital at New Berne, N. C, since June 20, 1865 *, discharged at 

Portsmouth Grove, R. I., July 15, 1865. 
Johnson, Charles. Sept. 3, 1862; died in General Hospital at 

Philadelphia, Penn., March 7, 1865, of consumption. 
JosEY, Anthony. Aug. 3, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Keenan, Michael. July 28, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Kknyon, Joseph. Oct. 13, 1862 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 

9, 1863. 
Mahoney, Jeremiah. Aug. 5, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
McCabe, John. Oct. 16, 1862; deserted at New Berne, N. C, 

March 22, 1863. 
McCabe, Peter. Oct. 10, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
McCaffrey, John. Sept. 12, 1862; discharged for disability from 

General Hospital, New Berne, N. C, March 3, 1863. 
McDermott, Thomas. Sept. 20, 1862 ; deserted at Providence, 

R. I., Aug. 5, 1863, while on furlough. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLKKY. 317 

McGee, James G. Sept. 7, 1864; mustered out. June 26. 1865. 
McGiLi,, William. Sept. 25, 1862 ; deserted at New Berne, N. C, 

June 23, 1863. 
Moore, William. July 8, 1863 ; deserted at New Berne, N. C, 

Aug. 17, 1863. 
MuNG, Henry. Aug. 3, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Neilson, Nils. Aug. 4, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
O'Bkien, Michael. July 29, 1863 ; deserted from New Berne, 

N. C, Sept. 3, 1863. 
O'Brien, Thomas. Aug. 1, 1863 ; deserted from New Berne, 

N. C, Sept. 3, 1863. 
Page, Oliver. Oct. 3, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Palmer, John. Aug. 3, 1863; transferred to tiie navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Perry, IMartin H. Aug. 8, 1863 ; deserted from New Berne, 

N. C, Nov. 12, 1863. 
Pierce, Christopher T. Aug. 20, 1862 ; promoted to second lieu- 
tenant, Co. C, Feb. 14, 1863. 
Riley, Frederick. Aug. 8, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Riley, Joseph. Aug. 3, 1863 ; transferred to tlie navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Roland, George. July 9, 1863; discharged the service, by Special 

Orders No. 1, War Dept., A. G. O., Washington, D. C, Jan, 

2, 1864. 
Rose, Joliu. Oct. 10, 1862 ; deserted in Rhode Island while on 

furlough, Nov. 8, 1863. 
Rourke, Hugh. July 29, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
RusHTON, James. July 31, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Ryan, William. July 29, 1863 ; died in Foster General Hospital, 

New Berne, N. C, Jan. 24, 1865, of acute bronchitis. 
Seator, Christian. Oct. 1, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Shippey, Thomas. Oct. 6, 1862; died Dec. 19, 1862, of wounds 

received at Battle of Whitehall, N. C, Dec. 16, 1862. 
Smith, George. Aug. 5, 1863 ; died in Foster General Hospitals 

New Berne, N. C, Sept. 28, 1864, of remittent fever. 
Smith, John P. Oct. 16, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Smith, William. July 31, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



318 HISTORY OF THE 

Thompson, John C. July 9, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Tracy, Christopher. Sept. 19, 1862 ; died in Foster General Hos- 
pital, New Berne, N. C, Sept. 29, 1864, of remittent fever. 

Wallace, James. Oct. 6, 1862 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 
9, 1863. 

West, Louis J. July 27, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

White, Charles. July 31, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

White, Emery. Sept. 24, 1862 ; died in Regimental Hospital, at 
New Berne, N. C, June 19, 1863 ; buried in National Ceme- 
tery, at New Berae, N, C. 

Williams, John, 1st. July 29, 1863 ; died at New Berne, N. C, 
July 30, 1864, of typhoid fever; buried in National Cemetery, 
at New Berne, N. C. 

Williams, John, 2d. Aug. 5, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, 
Sept. 27, 1864. 

Williamson, Thomas. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 
1865. 

Wilson, George. July 29, 1863 ; deserted from New Berne, N. C, 
Sept., 1863. 

Colored Under-Cooks. 

Bess, Luke. Jan. 20, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Rough, Cajsar. Jan, 21, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



COMPANY H. 



Captains. 
Benjamin L. Hall. Promoted from second lieutenant, Co. B, 

Dec. 13, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 13, 1863. 
Henry B. Landers. Promoted from second lieutenant, Co. E ; 

mustered out, Dec. 22, 1864. 

First Lieutenants. 
Emelius De Meulen. Nov. 28, 1862; transferred to Co. E, Feb. 

14, 1863. 
Henry P. Williams. Feb. 14, 1863 ; promoted from sergeant, 

Co. D ; mustered out, Dec. 22, 1864. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HKAVY ARTIM.EUV. 319 

Benjamin F. Underwood. Jan. 1, 1865; promoted from ser- 
geant, Co. A; appointed adjutant, Jan. 11, 186r». 

Edward F. Angell. Feb. U, 1863 ; transferred from Co. G, 
June 15, 1865 ; appointed captain, Dec. 22, 1864 ; not mus- 
tered ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Second Lieutenants. 

Joseph McInttre. Feb. 14, 1863 ; promoted to captain, Co. E, 

Second Rhode Island Infantry, April 1, 1863; killed at the 

Battle of the Wilderness, May 5, 1864. 
George F. Turner. Oct. 16, 1862; transferred from Co. B, 

March 1, 1863 ; promoted to first lieutenant, Co. E, Aug. 31, 

1864. 

Sergeants. 

Charles Morton. First sergeant, Nov. 26, 1862 ; transferred to 
Co. I, Jan. 12, 1863. 

Herbert D. Leavitt. Private, Co. E, Nov. 1, 1861 ; promoted 
to first sergeant, Co, H, Jan. 10, 1863 ; honorably discharged 
to accept commission as second lieutenant, Co. E, Fourteenth 
Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (colored), Dec. 22, 18Ci3 ; mus- 
tered out, Oct. 2, 1865. 

Lawrence Flanigan. Oct. 5, 1862; deserted; joined from deser- 
tion ; transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps, April 12, 1864. 

Francis Adams. Sept. 2, 1862; transferred from sergeant, Co. 
F; deserted^, July 5, 1863. 

Jonathan Davison. Oct. 30, 18G2 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12. 
1863. 

George W. S. Potter. Nov. 18, 1862 ; transferred to Co. 1, Jan. 
12, 1863. 

William B. Mott. Dec. 12, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12. 
1863. 

John Reddington. Corporal, Oct. 22, 1862; sergeant, Feb. 13, 
1863 ; first sergeant ; promoted to second lieutenant, June 26, 
1865 ; not mustered ; mustered out, June 26. 1865. 



320 HISTORY OF THE 

William H. Johnson. Private, Co. B, First Rhode Island De- 
tached Militia, May 2, 1861 ; detailed to company of carbi- 
neers of same regiment, June 27, 1861 ; sergeant, Co. H, Fifth 
Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Aug. 5, 1863 ; mustered out, 
June 26, 1865. 

Ernest Harting. Private, Dec. 12, 1862 ; sergeant, June 2, 1864 ; 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Richard Lable, Private, Aug. 4, 1863; promoted to sergeant; 
deserted March, 1864, while on vecruiting service. 

John Meiners. Private, July 29, 1863 ; corporal, Dec. 3, 1863 ; 
sergeant. June 3, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865, 

Henry Pickles. Private, Dec. 16, 1862; corporal; sergeant; 
deserted, Dec. 11, 1864. 

John B. Gartenman. Private, Dec. 27, 1862; sergeant; pro- 
moted to second lieutenant, June 26, 1865 ; not mustered ; mus- 
tered out, June 26, 1865. 

Corporals. 
George Welch. Oct. 21, 1862: transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863, 
George W. S. Potter, Nov. 3, 1863 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 

12, 1863. 
Charles Nelson. Nov. 25, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
George W. Conger. Nov. 29, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I, Feb. 

11, 1863. 

James W. Greatreaks. Dec. 9, 1862 ; transferred to Co. E, 

April 1, 1863. 
George Phetteplace. Nov. 5, 1862 ; discharged for disability, 

Jan. 7, 1863. 
Thomas Fitzpatrick. Dec. 16, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 

12, 1863. 

John Schuppen. Private, July 31, 1863 ; corporal, June 2, 1864 ; 

mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
William Schultz. Private, Aug. 4, 1863 ; corporal, June 20, 

1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 321 

Ernest Ludwig. Private, Dec. 27, 18C2; corporal, June 20, 
1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

John Meyer. Private, July 9, 1863 ; corporal ; deserted, Nov. 28, 
1863. 

LuDWiCx Paulson. Private, Dec. 23, 1862; corporal; mustered 
out at Portsmouth Grove, R. I., July 11, 1865. 

Levin Richter. Private, July 28, 1863; corporal, June 2, 1864; 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Thomas C. Richardson, Private, Oct. 30, 1862 ; corporal ; de- 
serted, June 12, 1863. 

August Tillan. Private, July 28, 1863 ; corporal, Sept. 13, 

1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
John C. Sweetman. Private, Oct. 27, 1862 ; corporal ; deserted, 

Feb. 24, 1863 ; returned, Aug. 26, 1863 : transferred to the 

navy, Sept. 27, 1864. 

Musicians. 

John B. Wallace. Dec. 4, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Charles H. Everett. Transferred from Private, Co. D, March 2, 

1863 ; discharged for disability. May 29, 1863. 
Gustavus a. Messner. Dec. 4, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 
William Nailer. July 9, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 

Wagoners. 

Richard R. King. Nov. 15, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I, Feb. 12, 

1863. 

Joseph Briggs. Sept. 25, 1862 ; discharged for disability, Jan. 

17, 1863. 

Privates. 

Adams, Edward. Dec. 4, 1862; transferred to Co. K, Jan. 12. 

1863. 
Anderson, Louis. Dec. 18, 1862; transferred to the navy, Sept. 

27, 1864. 
21 



322 HISTORY OF THE 

Andrews, Luther. Nov. 19, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Arnheim, Max. July 8, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Arnold, Stephen G. Dec. 14, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 

12, 1863. 
Arnold, Charles. Dec. 16, 1862 ; deserted while absent at More- 
head General Hospital, N. C, Dec. 4, 1864. 
Bande, Adam. Dec. 15, 1862; sick in Foster General Hospital, 

New Berne, N. C, June 26, 1865. 
Benhaud, Frederick. July 28, 1863 ; transferred to Co. K, Aug. 

22, 1863. 
Bergman, William. Nov. 5, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Black, Edwin. Dec. 23, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Blumhoff, August. July 9, 1863 ; deserted, Nov. 1, 1863. 
Bode, Henry F. Dec. 22, 1862 ; deserted from New Berne, 

N. C, Jan. 18, 1863. 
Bond, William. Dec. 24, 1862 ; deserted, Jan. 18, 1863. 
Brameu, Lewis. July 28, 1863 ; confined at Fort Macon, N. C, 

serving sentence of court martial ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Bray, Charles P. Dec. 23, 1862; deserted while on furlough, 

April 30, 1864. 
Brayman, Edward. Dec, 6, 1864 ; discharged at Portsmouth 

Grove, R. I., July 11, 1865. 
Brittner, Carl. Dec. 15, 1862 ; deserted from New Berne, N. C, 

Feb. 22, 1863. 
Brown, Thomas. Dec. 17, ]862; transferred to Co. K, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Budderhagen, Adolph. July 31, 1863; transferred to the navy, 

Sept. 27, 1864. 
BuRCHAKD, Davis A. Dec. 10, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
BuRCxER, Robert. Dec. 20, 1862 ; discharged for disability, Jan. 7, 

1863. 
Burns, John. Dec. 20, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan, 12, 1863. 
BuTTENGAGEN, Frederick. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 
Cassidy, Patrick. Nov. 22, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 
1863. 



FIl'TH RHODE ISLAND IlKAVV AUTILl.KRY. 323 

COHUKN, Thomas H. Dec. 2S, 1,SG2 ; deserted, Jan. 18, 1803. 

Condon, James. Oct. 17, 1.S62; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

COSTIER, Josepli. Doc. 10, 18G2; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 
1863. 

Day, James. Dec. 9, 1802; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 1863. 

DoLAN, James, Nov. 14, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 
1863. 

Dow, Andrew. Nov. 19, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 
1863. 

Felser, Henry. Nov. 30, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Fish, Anthony. Oct. 21, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Fisher, John C. Dec. 23, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Flanagan, Thomas. Dec. 6, 1862; discharged at Providence, 
R. I., June 28, 1865, by order of War Department. 

Flood, James. Aug. 20, 1862; deserted, Dec. 11, 1864. 

Goes, William. July 8, 1863 ; promoted to second lieutenant, 
June 26, 1865 ; not mustered ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Greene, John. Nov. 19, 1862; transferred to Co, I, Jan, 12, 
1863, 

Gross, Anton. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Gross, Charles. July 31, 1863; deserted, Oct. 16, 1864. 

Harris, Albert B, Nov, 24, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 
1863. 

Hart, Robert. Nov, 20, 1862; discharged for disability, June 1, 
1863. 

Hartford, Solomon H. Dec. 16, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 
12, 1863. 

Hatch, John, Dec. 9, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 1863. 

Hauser, George. Dec. 19, 1862; deserted, Jan. 18, 1863. 

Heyer, Frederick. July 9, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 
27, 1864. 

Hoppfelt, Frederick, Dec, 16, 1862; deserted, Marcli 19,186:;, 

Horn, Henry. July 27, 1863 ; absent in confinement at Fort ]\Ia- 
con, N. C, sentence G. C. M., March 26, 1864; dishonor- 
ably discharged the service by G. C, M,, No. 448, War Dept., 
A. G. 0.. Washington, D. C, Aug. 22, 1865; released from 
confinement. S. O. No. 170, Hd, Qrs. Dept, North Carolina, 



324 HISTORY OF THE 

Sept. 1, 1865; mustered out at Providence, R. I., Aug. 15, 

1865 (see roll on file). 
Hyman, William M. Dec. 15, 1862; deserted, Aug. 8, 1863. 
Jackson, George. Nov. 19, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Jones, James. Nov. 19, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Johnson, Alex. McD. Dec. 19, 1862; mustered out, July 21, 

1865. by order of War Dept., May 4. 1865. 
Johnson, John B. Nov. 26, 1862 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 

7, 1863. 
Kelly, James. Dec. 23, 1862 ; deserted, May 23, 1863. 
Kelley, Martin. Sept. 20, 1864; discharged at Providence, R. I., 

July 21, 1865. 
Kenin, James. Dec. 11, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Kevaney, Mii;hael. Dec. 20, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Klein, Frank. July 8, 1863; deserted to the enemy, Dec. 11, 

1864. 
Klein, Henry. July 29, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1364. 
Kramer, William. July 8, 1863 ; deserted, Sept., 1863. 
Krausen, Gustav. July 29, 1863 ; deserted to the enemy, Dec. 

17, 1864. 
Krost, Henry. Dec. 23, 1862; deserted to the enemy, Dec. 11, 

1864. 
Langerman, John. July 29, 1863 ; deserted to the enemy, Dec. 

11, 1864. 
Loan, Anthony. Dec. 16, 1862 ; deserted, Jan. 18, 1863. 
Lull, Samuel E. Dec. 23, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Lower, Anton. July 8, 1863 ; discharged, Oct. 29, 1863. 
Mahan, Barney. Sept. 30, 1862 ; transferred to Co. D, Feb. 19, 

1863. 
Marks, James E. Nov. 18, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Madden, James. Dec. 10, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 



FIFTH UHODK ISLAND HEAVY AUTILLEUY. 325 

McCray, George H. Dec. r.>, 18G2 ; deserted, April MO, 1SG3. 
McGahey, Barney. Nov. I'J, 18G2 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 

12, 1863. 
McDonald, Donald. Dec. 16, 1862; transferred to Co. 1, .Ian. 

12, 1863. 
McElroy, Patrick. Nov. 25, 1862; transferred to Co. 1, Jan, 

12, 1863. 
McManus, William. Dec. 16, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 

12, 1863. 
Meyer, Henry. July 9, 1863; deserted to the enemy, Oct. 16. 

1864. 
Miller, Henry. Dec. 27, 1862; deserted, Jan. 18, 1863. 
Miller, John. Dec. 18, 1862 ; discharged for disability. June 

27, 1863. 
Miller, John. July 29, 1863; died at New Berne, N. C, Oct, 

15, 1864, of yellow fever. 
Miller, John H. Dec. 20, 1862 ; deserted, Jan. 18, 1863. 
Miller, Walter. Dec. 10, 1862; transferred to Co. E, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
MoLiNAiRE, James. Dec. 8, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Murtaugh, Patrick. Dec. 4. 1862 ; transferred to Co. 1, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Norman, Frank. July 10, 1863 ; deserted to the enemy, Dec. 11, 

1864. 
■Orr, Thomas.. Dec. 10, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 1863. 
Ott, Otto. Dec. 16, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Owens, Peter. Dec. 10, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I.Jan. 12, 1863. 
Parker, Benjamin. Dec. 15, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Parkhurst, John G. Nov. 29, 1864; absent sick in iiospital, at 

Portsmouth Grove, R. I., June 26, 1865; mustered out at 

Portsmouth Grove, July 11, 1865. 
Phalen, Robert. Dec. 23, 1862; deserted. May 19, 1863. 
Rennock, James. Oct. 17, 1862; deserted. May 19, 1863. 
RiCHTER, Frantz. July 29, 1863; mustered out by order of War 

Department, May 15, 1865. 
RiTTER, Franz. July 8, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



326 HISTOItY Ol' THE 

Root, Byron. Dec. 1-5, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 1863. 
Ross, William. Aug. 29, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Rowland, Thomas. Nov. 18, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 

12, 1863, 
Rowley, Patrick. Oct. 17, 1862; deserted while on furlough. 

March 22, 1864. 
RuDiG, Joseph. July 27, 1863 ; deserted to the enemy, Dec. 17, 

1864. 
ScHEWiELER, Herman. Aug. 5, 1863 ; absent sick June 2G, 1865? 

on muster out of the regiment. 
Schmidt, Charles. July 9, 1863 ; discharged by order of tlie "War 

Dept., Nov. 20, 1864, for fraudulent enlistment, having deserted 

from the Fourteenth New York Cavalry. 
Schmidt, Louis. July 10, 1863 ; died in hospital at New Berne, 

N. C, Sept. 30, 1864, of yellow fever. 
ScHON, Louis. Aug. 4, 1863; deserted, Sept. 21, 1863. 
ScHONBRUN, Max. Aug. 4, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
ScHUHS, John. July 29, 1863 ; deserted to the enemy, Oct. 16f 

1864. 
Simons, Thomas E. Nov. 17, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Smith, Daniel. Nov. 25, 1862 ; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 1863. 
Smith, John. Nov. 26, 1862 : transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 1863. 
Smith, John, 2d. Dec. 16, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Smith, Michael. July 31, 1863; in confinement at Fort Macon, 

N. C, June 26, 1865 ; mustered out at Hartford, Conn., 1866, 
Smith, Thomas J. Dec. 20, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
SoRENSEN, Oluf. July 10, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Stahl, John. July 10, 1863 ; absent, sick, June 26, 1865, on 

muster out of regiment. 
TooGOOD, Sterry C. Oct. 9, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Underwood, Benjamin F. Dec. 16, 1862 ; transferred to Co. IC 

Jan. 12, 1863. 
Walcher, John. July 27, 1863; deserted, Nov. 1, 1863. 



FIFTH RHODK ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLKUY. 327 

Weed, Matthew. Oct. 10, 18G2 ; transferred to Co. I, .Jan l-> 

1863. 
Williams, Hemy. Dec. 19, 1862 ; deserted June 23, 1863. 
Walker, Thomas. Nov. 29, 1862 ; transferred to Co, I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Wilson, Daniel. Dec. 1, 1862; deserted to the enemy, Dec. 11, 

1864. 
Willey, Henry. Dec. 4. 1862; transferred to Co. I, .Tan, 12, 

1863. 
WiLLET, John C. Dec. 10, 1862; transferred to Co. I, Jan. 12, 

1863. 
Wallman, Adolph. Aug. 8, 1863 ; discharged for disability, Dec. 

3, 1863. 
Wennenholm, John P. July 9, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, 

Sept. 27, 1864. 

Colored Under-Cooks. 

Adams, Davis. Jan. 20, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Jackson, Andrew. Jan. 20, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



COMPANY I. 



Captains. 
Benjamin L. Hall. Dec. 13, 1862; transferred from Co. -11; 

resigned, April 5, 1863. 
Charles Taft. Aug. 25, 1863 ; promoted from first lieutenant, 

Co. I; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

First Lieutenants. 

Charles Taft. Feb. 14, 1863; promoted from sergeant, Co. E; 
captain, Aug. 25, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Lewis H. Bowkn. Second lieutenant, Co. G, Second Rhode 
Island Infantry, June 6, 1861 ; promoted to first lieutcnaut, 
July 22, 1861 ; resigned, July 21, 1862; appointed first lieu- 



328 HISTOUY OF THE 

tenant Co. I, Fifth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Aug. 25, 
1863 ; appointed captain, Feb. 27, 1865 ; not mustered; mas- 
tered out of service at Richmond, Va., Aug. 30, 1865. 

Second Lieutenants- 

John B. Landers. April 10, 1863 ; promoted from sergeant, Co. 
G ; first lieutenant, Jan. 1, 1865, and assigned to Co. F. 

Sergeants. 

Geohge AV. S. Potter. First sergeant, Nov. 18, 1862; trans- 
ferred from Co. H; transferred to Co. C, June 19, 1863. 

Charles Morton. Nov. 26, 1862; deserted, Jan. 17, 1863. 

George AV. Conger. Nov. 29, 1862 ; deserted, Aug. 6, 1863, 
while on furlough. 

William B. Mott. Dec. 12, 1862 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Samuel E. G. Richards. Sergeant, Co. F, May 17, 1862; 
transferred to Co. I; discharged at New Berne, N. C, May 
31, 1865, by order of General Schofield. 

Peleg Clai!k. July 7, 1863; first sergeant, Jan. 1, 1865; pro- 
moted to second lieutenant, June 26, 1865; not mustered; 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Patrick H. Costigan. Private, Co. D, Sept. 6, 1862; corporal; 
transferred from Co. D, and promoted sergeant, Jan. 12, 1864 ; 
mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Jonathan Davison. Oct. 3, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 
12, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Sterry C. Toogood. Corporal, Oct. 9, 1862 ; transferred from 
Co. H, Jan. 12, 1863; sergeant, June 21, 1865; mustered 
out, June 26, 1865. 

Martin Boyd. Private, July 29, 1863; corporal; promoted to 
sergeant, June 21, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Corporals. 
George Welch. Oct. 21, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 
12, 1863 ; absent sick in General Hospital, June 26, 1865, on 
muster out of regiment. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HKAVY AUTII.LKUV. '^20 

Patrick MuRTAUGH. Dec. 4, 1862; transferred from Co. II, 
Jan. 12, 1863; deserted, May 1, 1864, wliile on furlough at 
Providence, R. I. 

James Buckley. Private, July 29, 1863; corporal, June 21, 
1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

James Kenin. Private, Dec. 11,1862; transferred from Co. H ; 
corporal; deserted, July 6, 1864, while on furlough in New- 
York City. 

George N. Potter. Private, Nov. 3, 1862 ; transferred from 

Co. H; corporal, June 21, 1865; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 

Henry Stone. Private, July 29, 1863 ; corporal, June 21, 1865 ; 

mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

James Brown. Private, July 29, 1863 ; corporal ; deserted from 

Roanoke Island, N. C, May 31, 1864. 

Musicians. 
John B. Wallace. Dec. 4, 1862 ; transferred from Co. II, Jan. 

12, 1863; deserted, Feb. 17, 1863. 
George Dailey. Private, Aug. 3, 1863 ; appointed musiciaii ; 

mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Wagoners. 
Richard R. King. Nov. 15, 1862 ; transferred from Co. II, Feb. 

12, 1863 ; not accounted for on rolls. 
John Hatch. Dec. 9, 1862; transferred from Cu. II : discharged 

for disability, July 21, 1864. 
Sajiuel E. Lull. Dec. 22, 1862 ; transferred as private from Co. 

H, Jan. 12, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Privates. 
Ahl, Thomas D. July 29, 1863 ; deserted, Oct. 13, 1863. 
Andrews, Luther. Nov. 19, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 

12, 1863; deserted; joined from desertion, June 28, 1864; 

mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Arnold, Stephen G. Oct. 14, 1862; transferred from Co. II, 

Jan. 12, 1863 ; discliaraed for disability, Aug. 5, 1863. 



330 HISTORY OF TIIK 

Black, PMwiu. Dec. 22, 1862 ; tnuisferred from Co. H, Jan. 12» 

1863 ; not accounted for on rolls. 
Brady, William. Jnly 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Brown, Thomas. July 29, 1863; deserted, Sept. 12, 1863. 
Bryan, William. Aug. 1, 1863; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27. 

1864. 
Burns, James. July 9, 1863; deserted, Sept. 1, 1863. 
Burns, John. Dec. 20, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 12, 

1863 ; deserted, July 17, 1864. 
Cassidy, Patrick. Nov. 22, 1862; transferred from Co. H, .Jan. 

12, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Christopher, James. Aug. 1, 1863; transferred to the navy. 

April 25, 1865. 
Clingan, James. July 31, 1863; deserted, Feb. 22, 1864. 
CONNKR, Michael. July 2S, 1863 ; deserted, Dec. 14, 1863. 
CoRTiER, Joseph. Dec. 10, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 

12, 1863 ; deserted, May 5, 1863. 
Davis, Samuel. July 10, 1863 ; mustered out, June 20, 1865. 
Day, James. Dec. 9, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 12, 

1863 ; deserted, July 6, 1863. 
Denn, Charles. Nov. 14, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865 ; died 

July 3, 1865, on his way home ; interred at Cypress Hill Ceme- 
tery, Long Island. 
Dor.AN, John. Nov. 14, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 12, 

1863 ; mustered out. June 26, 1865. 
Doi.AN, Patrick. July 29, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Dow, Andrew. Nov. 19, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 12, 

1863; deserted, Feb. 17, 1863. 
Doyle, James. July 8, 1863 ; transferred from Co. K, Sept. 7y 

1863 ; deserted from Hatteras Inlet, Nov. 4, 1863. 
Dunning, John. July 8, 1863 ; deserted, Feb. 22, 1864. 
Eagan, John. July 29, 1863 ; deserted, Nov. 30, 1863. 
Fager, John. July 31, 1863; deserted, Sept. 2, 1863. 
FiSK, MiCAH. Dec. 13, 1862 ; deserted from Fort Macon, N. C, 

May 14, 1864. 
FiTZPATRiCK, Thomas. Dec. 27, 1862 ; transferred from Co. H ; 

deserted, March 24, 1863. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTILLERY. 331 

Francis, Charles. Dec. 18, 18G2 : discliarged for disability. May 

28, 1863. 
Greene, John. Nov. 19, 18G2 ; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 12. 

1863 ; deserted, Jan. 15, 1863. 
Hanson, James H. Nov. 26, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 186.J. 
Harper, Robert. Nov. 19, 1862 ; deserted, June 15, 1863. 
Harris, Albert B. Nov. 24, 1862 ; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 

12, 1863 ; discharged for disability. May 14, 1863. 
Hartford, Solomon H. Dec. 16, 1862; transferred from Co. H, 

Jan. 12, 1863 ; deserted, June 6, 1863. 
Hartigan, Michael. July 9, 1863 ; deserted, May 31, 1864. 
Hayes, George. Aug. 1, 1863; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Hayes, John. July 8, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Hill, James. July 31, 1863 ; deserted, Oct. 7, 1863. 
Jackson, George. Nov. 19, 1862; transferred from Co. H; de- 
serted, Aug. 2, 1863. 
Jones, James, 1st. Nov. 19, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 

12, 1863; deserted, July 6, 1883. 
Jones, James, 2d. July 9, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 

27, 1864. 
Jones, John. Aug. 1, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Johnson, William H. July 8, 1863 ; deserted from Hatteras Inlet, 

N. C, Oct. 7, 1863. 
Kane, Patrick. Aug. 4, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Kendrick, John. Oct. 29, 1864 ; transferred from Co. D ; mus- 
tered out, June 26, 1865. 
Lee, George. July 9, 1863; deserted, Sept. 10, 1863. 
Lynch, James. July 29, 1863 ; deserted, May 23, 1864. 
Madden, James. Dec. 20, 1862; transferred from Co. IL Jan. 

12, 1863; deserted, Aug. 2, 1863; returned, Aug. 12, 1863; 

deserted from Annapolis, Md., June, 1864. 
Marks, James S. Nov. 18, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 

12, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



332 IIISTOUY OF THI-: 

McDonald, Donald. Dec. 16, 13G2 ; transferred from Co. H, 
Jan, 12, 1863 ; died in Stanley General Hospital at New Berne, 
N. C, May 29, 1863, of typhoid fever; buried in National 
Cemetery, New Berne, N. C. 

McElroy, Patrick. Nov. 25, 1862 ; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 
12, 1863 ; died in Post Hospital at Hatteras Inlet, N. C, Oct. 
29, 1863, of heart disease. 

McGahey, Barney. Nov. 19, 1862 ; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 
12, 1863 ; deserted, July 6, 1863. 

McGiNNis, John. July 9, 1863 ; deserted, Sept. 2, 1863. 

McManus, William. Dec. 16, 1862; transferred from Co. H, 
Jan. 12, 1863; deserted, Jan. 17, 1863. 

McIntee, John. July 31, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

MoiJNAiRE, James. Dec. 8, 1862 ; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 
12, 1863 ; transferred to Co. K. 

Moore, John. July 29, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 
1864. 

MoTT, Henry B. May 29, 1864 ; deserted, March 21, 1865. 

Neff, Henry C, July 9, 1863 ; deserted, Nov. 30, 1864. 

Nelson, Charles. No^'. 28, 1862 ; transferred from Co. H ; de- 
serted, Feb. 7, 1863, 

Nevil, Richard. July 31, 186;5 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 
27, 1864, 

NoRRis, Trustworthy, Nov. 14, 1862 ; died in Regimental Hos- 
pital, at New Berne, N. C, April 30, 1863, of typhoid fever; 
buried in National Cemetery, New Berne, N. C. 

North, James L. July 29, 1863 ; deserted from Roanoke Island, 
June 2, 1864, 

O'Brien, Michael. Aug. 8, 1863 ; deserted. Sept. 2, 1863. 

Ork, Thomas. Dec. 10, 1862 ; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 12, 
1863 : deserted, July 6, 1863. 

Owens, Peter. Dec. 10, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 12, 
1863 ; deserted, July 31, 1864, while on furlough to New York 
City. 

Perrin, Amos D. Nov. 23, 1864 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Powers, David. July 29, 1863 ; deserted, July 17, 1864. 

Root, Byron. Dec, 15, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 12, 
1863; deserted, March 24, 1863. 



FIFTH HHODIi ISLAND IIKAVY AKTII.LKKV. 333 

Rowland, Thomas. Nov. 18, 1802; transferreafrom Co. II, Jan. 
12, 1863 ; not accounted for on rolls. 

Ryan, Michael. July 28, 18G3 ; deserted. May 14, l.SOl. 

Ryan, Patrick. Aug. 1, 1863; died in hospital at New Berne, 
N. C, Oct. 3, 1864, of yellow fever. 

Sands, Henry. July 31, 1863; transferred to the pavy, Sept. 27. 
1864. 

Savage, Michael. July 9, 1863; transferred to the Veteran Re- 
serve Corps, Jan. 1, 1865, mustered out, at Albany, N. Y., 
July 17, 1865. 

Sewell, Andrew. Aug. 5, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 
27, 1864. 

Shepard, Thomas. Aug. 4, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 18(>o. 

Sheridan, John. July 9, 1863 ; deserted. May 23, 1864. 

SiMMONDS, Charles. Nov. 25, 1862; mustered out, June 26, ISC.J. 

Simpson, Martin. July 10, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Smith, Daniel. Nov. 25, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 12. 
1863 ; deserted, March 30, 1863. 

Smith, Henry. July 7, 1863; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 
1864. 

Smith, James. Aug. 5, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27. 
1864. 

Smith, John, 1st. Nov. 26, 1862 ; transferred from Co. H ; de- 
serted, Jan. 15, 1863. 

Smith, Jolm, 2d. Dec. 16, 1862 ; transferred from Co. II ; de- 
serted, Jan. 15, 1863. 

Smith, Thomas P* Dec. 10, 1862 ; transferred from Co. II : de- 
serted, March 24, 1863. 

Taylor, George. July 31, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Thompson, James. July 8, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 
27, 1864. 

Thompson, John. July 31, 1863; deserted, Sept. 2, 1863. 

Walker, Thomas. Nov. 29, 1862 ; transferred from Co. II, Jan. 
12, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 1864. 

Weed, Matthew. Oct. 19, 1862; transferred from Co. H, Jan. 
12, 1863; died in Mansfield Hospital, Morehead City, N. C, 
Sept. 28, 1864, of yellow fever. 



334: HISTORY OF THE 

WiLLEY, Henry. Dec, 4, 1862 ; deserted, May 5, 1863. 
WiLLETT, John C. Dec. 10, 1862; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
AVooDS, John. July 29, 1863 ; deserted, Oct. 7, 1863. 

Colored Under-Cooks. 
Dyden, Esau. April 4, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Pate, Henry. April 4, 1865; deserted, May 11, 1865. 



COMPANY K. 



Captains. 

John Aigan. Private, Co. F, First Rhode Island Detached 
Militia, May 2, 1861 ; promoted from second lieutenant. Third 
Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, to captain of Co. K, Fifth 
Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Nov. 20, 1862 ; resigned on ac- 
comit of ill health, June 20, 1863 ; subsequently re-entered the 
service and was appointed captain of Co. A, same regiment 
(see record of Co. A). 

Emelius De Meulen. Aug. 25, 1863 ; promoted from first lieu- 
tenant, Co. E: mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

First Lieutenants. 

RoisERT Thoju'SOK. April 17, 1863; transferred to Co. E, aide- 
de-camp on staff of Gen. Richard Arnold, United States Army. 

Moses O. Darling. Private, Co. D, First Rhode Island Detached 

Militia, May 2, 1861 ; first lieutenant, Co. K, Fifth Rhode 

Island Heavy Artillery, Aug. 25, 1863 ; mustered out, June 

26, 1865. 

Second Lieutenant. 

William Sisson, Jr. Dec. 25, 1862 ; promoted from artificer, 

Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery ; discharged for physical 

disability, Nov. 28, 1864. 

Sergeants. 
Charles H. Smith. Dec. 16, 1861 ; transferred from Co. D, first 

sergeant ; remustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; mustered out, 

June 26, 1865. 



FIFTH KIIODF ISLAND HKAVV AUTM.I.KUY. '3?j't 

Charles E. A. Mathewson. Dee. 16, 1861; pio-oted to lirst 
sergeant, June 13, 186;") ; mustered out, June 26, 186."). 

Thomas F. Si'icick. Jan. 14, 1863; deserted, Jan. 23, 18(;5. 
while on furlough at Philadelphia, Pa. 

•George H. Gladding. Transferred from Co. C ; remustcred as 
a veteran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; appointed principal musician of tlie 
regiment, Oct. 14, 1864; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

James McEwan. Dec. 14, 1861; transferred fVom Co. A; re- 
mustered as a veteran, Jan. 2, 1864 ; promoted to second lieu- 
tenant, June 26, 186.") ; not mustered; mustered out, June 26, 
1865. 

Alexander Bason. Private, Aug. 9, 1863; corporal, Dec. 5. 

1863 ; sergeant, June 13, 1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Jamks Molinaire. Private, Dec. 8, 1862 ; transferred from Co. 

I; promoted to corporal ; sergeant, June 13, 1865 ; mustered 

out, June 26, 1865. 
John Bunker. IMvate, Aug. 25, 1862; corporal. Aug. 21, 

1863 ; sergeant, June 13, 1865 ; mustered out, July 22, 1865. 

Corporals. 

Benjamin F. Underwood. Dec. 15, 1862 ; transferred from Co. 

H ; promoted to sergeant, and transferred to Co. A. 
Eugene Denckel. I'rivate, July 9, 1863 ; corporal, June 13, 

1865 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Joseph Rae. Private, Jan. 14, 1863 ; corporal ; reduced to the 

ranks ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Privates. 

Adams, Edward. Dec. 4, 1862 ; transferred from Co. 11, Jan. 12. 

1863 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 26, 1863. 
Alt, Mouza. July 18, 1863 ; deserted, Sept. 23, 1863. 
Arkwright, Charles. Jan. 14, 1863; deserted, April 3, 1863. 
Balland, Andrew. July 8, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Benoist, Charles. Aug. 5, 1863; deserted, Sept. 23, 1863. 
Berxhard, Frederic. July 23, 1863; deserted, Sept. 23, 1863. 



336 HISTORY OF THE 

Brown, Thomas. Dec. 25, 1862 ; ti-ansferred from Co. H, Jan. 

12, 1863; deserted, July 26, 1863; in confinement at Fort 

Macon, N. C, July 6, 1864. 
BuRKK, John. Jan. 20, 1863 ; absent sick in G-eneral Hospital at 

New Berne, N. C, June 18, 1864; discharged from General 

Hospital at Portsmouth Grove, R. I., July 15, 1865. 
Cady, Calvin L. Aug. 15, 1864; transferred to Co. F. 
Caproni, Gaetano. Aug. 1, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
CoATUREE, George. Aug. 29, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 
Dante, Antoino. July 9, 1863 ; deserted, Dec. 22, 1863. 
Doyle, James. July 8, 1863 ; transferred to Co. F, Sept. 7, 1863. 
DuTAL, Lucius. July 9, 1863 ; deserted, Dec. 22, 1863. 
ElinorE; Louis. July 9, 1863 ; deserted, April 29, 1864. 
EsPARTERO, Antonio. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
FoGGACCi, Antonio. July 8, 1863 ; deserted, April 29, 1864. 
Frost, Daniel. Jan. 14, 1863; deserted, March 15, 1863. 
Gentil, Frederick. July 8, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Gilbert, Alfred. July 29, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
GiROD, Julius. July 27, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
GiGON, Paul. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Gomez, William. Aug. 5, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 

27, 1864. 
Gw^ziNER, John. Aug. 8, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
HoYT, William. Jan. 10, 1863; deserted, March, 1863. 
Jenkins, William C. Aug. 15, 1864 ; transferred to Co. F. 
Johnson, Peter. July 28, 1863 ; deserted, Dec. 17, 1863. 
Kelley, Thomas. Nov. 15, 1862 ; discharged for disability at 

Newark, N. J., May 26, 1864. 
Lama, Julius. July 29, 1863 ; deserted, Sept. 23, 1863. 
Lambert, Joseph. Jan. 14, 1863 ; deserted, Sept. 23, 1863. 
Lawrence, Michael. July 28, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 

1865. 
Levalley, Frederick H. Aug. 15, 1864 ; transferred to Co. F. 
Longfield, Augustus. July 29, 1863; deserted, Dec. 1, 1863. 
Luther, Calvin. Jan. 7, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Maguire, John. Jan. 14, 1863 ; deserted, March 10, 1863. 



FIFTH KHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTH.LEKY. :]:i7 

Marepal, Charles. July 27, 1863 ; deserted, Sept. 23, 1863. 
Mass, Martinez. July 27, 1863 ; deserted, Dec. 22, 1863. 
Matthew, Julius. July 27, 1863 ; deserted, Dec. 22, 1863. 
Meyer, John. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Miller, Henry. July 8, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
Monet, Theodore. Aug. 5, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, I860. 
Monti, Antonio. July 9, 1863 ; deserted, Dec. 22, 1863. 
Moran, Thomas. Jan. 14, 1863; deserted, March 10, 1863. 
MoRixi, Domenico. July 8, 1863; transferred to the navy, Sept. 

27, 1864. 
Morton, Edgar B. Jan. 10, 1863 ; discharged for disability, Aug. 

26, 1863. 
MuLLER, Jacob. July 27, I860 ; deserted, Sept. 23, 1863. 
MuLLER, Joseph. July 9, 1863 ; discharged for disability from 

U. S. General Hospital at Newark, N. J., May 26, 1864. 
Myers, John. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Navoo, Gustavus. July 8, 1863; deserted, May 1, 1864; died at 

Andersonville, Ga., Sept. 5, 1864. 
O'Brien, John. July 28, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
O'DoNNELL, John. Dec. 18, 1862 ; deserted, April 29, 1864. 
Papi, Charles. July 8, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 

1864. 
PiCQUEUx, Constant. July 8, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
PiRON, Matthew. Jidy 8, 1863 ; mustered out by order of the War 

Dept., May 24, 1865. 
PoRTiios, Augustus. July 31, 1863; deserted, Sept. 27, 1863. , 
Randall, Robert B. Aug. 19, 1864; transferred to Co. F. 
Reizer, Henry. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Roland, John. July 9, 1863 ; deserted, Dec. 16, 1863. 
Schultz, George, July 9, 1863 ; discharged from U. S. General 

Hospital, Newark, N. J., Aug. 1, 1864. 
Scott, Robert. Jan. 14, 1863 ; deserted, April 29, 1864. 
Shea, Jeremiah. Jan. 19, 1863 ; deserted, July 26, 1863. 
Stein, Charles, July 9, 1863 ; discharged for disability at New- 
ark, N. J., Aug. 1, 1864. 
Steiner, George. July 9, 1863 ; mustered out, June 2('>, 1865. 

22 



338 FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 

Stevens, Joseph F. Jan. 19, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 

Smith, Jacob. July 9, 1863 ; transferred to the navy, Sept. 27, 
1864. 

Sullivan, James. July 29, 1863; deserted, Dec. 1, 1863. 

Sullivan, Michael. Jan. 19, 1863 ; deserted, Aug. 14, 1863. 

Thornton, Richard B. Aug. 18, 1864; transferred to Co. F. 

Vallett, John. July 8, 1863 ; discharged for disability, June 26, 
1864. 

Ward, William. Jan. 4, 1863 ; mustered out at Providence, R. I., 
July 22, 1865, by order of War Dept. 

Wenner, John. July 27, 1863 ; deserted, Dec. 20, 1863 ; re- 
turned, Dec. 22, 1863; confined at Dry Tortugas, Fla., by 
sentence of General Court Martial ; died at Fort Jefferson, Fla., 
May 30, 1865. 

White, John. Jan. 14, 1863 ; deserted, March 17, 1863. 

White, William. July 8, 1863 ; deserted, Sept. 23, 1863. 

Wood, William. Jan. 4, 1863 ; in confinement at Fort Macon, 
N. C, for remainder of his term of enlistment, by sentence of 
General Court Martial, for desertion ; released and returned to 
duty, Dec. 16, 1864; absent sick in hospital at New Berne, 
N. C, June 20, 1865. 

Colored Under-Cooks. 

Henry, William. Oct. 28, 1863 ; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 
Richardson, Henry. Oct. 28, 1863; mustered out, June 26, 1865. 



APPENDIX. 



APPENDIX A. 



Sketch of Major John Wricjht.* 



John Weight was born in Providence, R. I., March 20, 1S25. He re- 
ceived his education in the schools of his native city. He first attended 
school in the old brick school-house on Transit Street, and subsequently 
a private school kept by Dr. Brown on Benefit Street. His father, John 
Wright, was a civil engineer and laid the first railroad that Avas built be- 
tween Havana and Matanzas. The subject of our sketch accompanied 
his father to Cuba on several of his journeys. On the death of his 
father, he entered the employ of Thurston & Gardner, proprietors of 
the Providence Steam Engine Works, and learned the trade of engineer. 
He remained there four years and then went to Cuba as agent of the 
West Point Foundry (New York), and was engaged in superintending 
the construction of engines for sugar mills, etc., for about nine years, 
when he returned to Rhode Island and made his residence in East 
Greenwich, and was a member of a firm that was engaged in the grocery 
business in Providence. 

In 1848 he commenced his military career, joining the National Cadets 
of Providence, commanded at that time by Col. Joseph S. Pitman, a 
veteran of the Mexican AVar. AVhile residing in East Greenwich he was 
appointed colonel of the Kentish Guards, the oldest chartered infantry 
company in the State, which enjoys the distinction of having had among 
its commanders Generals Nathaniel Greene and James M. Varnum, of 
Revolutionary renown. At the funeral of Major Vinton, who was killed 
in the Mexican War, Colonel Vv'right was present with his command and 
was assigned to the right of the line. 

In 1860 Governor Sprague appointed Colonel Wright brigadier-general 
of the fourth brigade of Rhode Island Militia, and he held this position 
at the breaking out of the Rebellion. When the President issued his 
call for troops, Governor Sprague promptly responded. He sent a com- 
munication to General Wright, authorizing him to raise a company from 

* Wlien this history was commenced it was not contomplated inserting any sketclies 
at that time, but as the work progressed it was thought flUing by the I'ublislnng Committee 
that a brief mention of the several commanders of the Fifth should be given, and as the 
point had been passed where Major Wright's sketch should have properly appeared, it 
was deemed advisable to insert it here. 



342 



HISTORY OF THE 



his brigade, saying in his cliaracteristic manner that '' brigadiers will go 
out as captains, and the commander-in-chief (Sprague) would go as a 
private." Captain Wright summoned his men to appear at the armory 
of the Kentish Guards that night, and on the following day reported to 
Colonel Burnside in Providence with eighty-three men, and was quar- 
tered in Kailroad Hall. As the complement of men for the First Rhode 
Island Detached Militia had been completed Captain Wright with his 
company was ordered to proceed to East Greenwich, and was quartered 
in the armory at the State's expense. 

As considerable dissatisfaction existed among the members of the 
General Assembly of the towns of Scituate, Cranston, and Johnston, 
claiming that they were not represented in the First Rhode Island Regi- 
ment, Governor Sprague authorized Captain Wright to organize a full 
company to be credited to the quota of those towns. When this was 
completed Captain Wright proceeded to the Dexter Training Ground 
and reported to Colonel Slocum, of the Second Rhode Island Infantx-y. 
On drawing lots this company was designated as Company B, and as- 
signed the second post of honor. When the regiment passed through 
Baltimore, filled at that time with rebel sympathizers, Captain Wright's 
company being on the left of the regiment, he ordered his men to load 
with ball cartridge, fearing that an attack might be made upon them by 
the excited crowds lining the streets, but happily bloodshed was averted. 
Captain Wright was present at the battle of Bull Run, and continued 
Avith the Second until he received the appointment of Major of the Fifth 
Rhode Island Battalion of Infantry, and was ordered to Rhode Island 
and reported to Governor Sprague. On arriving there he proceeded to 
Camp Greene, a few miles from Providence on the Stonington Railroad, 
and assumed command of the battalion. A few days later the Fifth re- 
moved to Providence and encamped on the Dexter Training Ground, 
where it remained until ordered to report to General Burnside at An- 
napolis, Md., who was then organizing a division for service on the 
Atlantic coast. 

The thrilling experience of the Fifth in entering Hatteras Inlet has 
already been told in preceding pages. The resolute spirit shown by 
Major Wright in refusing to obey an impracticable order to transfer his 
men from the ship Kitty Simpson (then aground), to another vessel, 
stamped him as a man of firmness and decision in the houi- of danger. 
In confirmation of this we quote from a conversation between Cajit. 
Charles Taft and the major at one of the reunions of the regiment. He 
said: " Major, do you know the best act you ever did for the Fifth? 
Well, it was when we were on the shij) Kitty Simpson and it was aground, 
and you refused to obey an order for the men to be transferred to another 
vessel, and you threatened to shoot the first man that attempted it." 
And this is the truth; for not one-third of the men Ewould have been 
able to have boarded the vessel in that rough sea. General Burnside 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HKAVV AKTII.KKUY. .'343 

subsequently complimented Major Wrioht for the position lie t.jok, al- 
though it was contrary to his orders at the time. 

At the battles of Roanoke Island and New Berne the Fifth, luidor the 
command of Major Wright bore an honorable part. As has already been 
stated, the rebuilding of the railroad bridge at Xewport City was credita- 
ble alike to Major Wright and the officers and men of his battalion. 
The major undertook the task under difficulties which would have dis- 
heartened some men, but by his skill, perseverance, and untiring energy, 
supplemented by the hearty cooperation of his soldiers, the work was 
successfully accomplished, thus enabling General Parke's brigade to 
transport their siege guns, .ammunition and material over the bridge, 
and substantially contributed to the final capture and occupation of Fort 
Macon. 

The work performed by the battalion in front of Fort Macon prepara- 
tory to its final reduction can hardly be overestimated. Although onlj' a 
battalion of five companies yet it performed the duties of a full regi- 
ment, and every third day took its tour of duty in the trenches without 
a murmur. 

To the Fifth was accorded the honor of receiving the formal surrender 
of Fort Macon, as it was on duty in the trenches on the morning suc- 
ceeding the bombardment of the fort. The rebel garrison Hag was 
offered to Major Wright by General Burnside, but with his characteris- 
tic modesty he declined to receive it personally for himself, desiring that 
the gift should be made to the battalion. It was afterwards sent liome 
to Rhode Island in the name of the Fifth, and presented to the (4eneral 
Assembly. 

Major Wright with his battalion participated in the demonstration at 
New Berne on the 20th of June, 1862, when General Burnside was made 
the recipient of a magnificent sword, presented to him by the State of 
Rhode Island for his distinguished services in Xorth Carolina. 

Major Wright tendered his resignation to General Foster, command- 
ing the Department of North Carolina, Aug. 2o, 1862, but it was not ac- 
cepted until the middle of the following month. On his return to Kliode 
Island he was appointed Superintendent of Construction in setting up 
marine engines in government vessels. He was subsequently appointed 
an engineer in the Providence Fire Department, and continued in that ca- 
pacity for about sixteen years, when he retired from tiiat position in 
consequence of ill health. He is still living in Providence, honored and 
respected by all who know him, and especially by the soldiers of his old 
battalion. 



344 HISTORY OF THE 



APPENDIX B. 



LlEUTEXANT-CoLOXEL JOB ArNOI-D, 

Eev. Augustus Wooclburj% D. D., paid the following fitting tribute to 
the memory of Colonel Arnold in one of the Providence papers at the 
time of his decease: 

"We cannot allow the death of this true man and brave soldier to 
pass without a brief tribute to his services and character. He was among 
the first to volunteer for the defence of the Republic in 1861, and he con- 
tinued in the service as long as his physical strength could endure the 
hardships of camp and field. In the First Regiment he was a private in 
Capt. William W. Brown's company, and also in Capt. Frank Goddard's 
company of Carbineers. Among the skirmishers of the advanced line 
he entered upon the battle of Bull Run, and by his intrepidity and cool- 
ness, attracted the attention and excited the admiration of his comrades 
and officers. 

"Appointed captain in the Fifth Regiment, Dec. 16, 1861, he was in 
the Burnside Expedition to North Carolina, and, in every situation in 
which he was placed, displayed a remarkable fidelity and capa.city. His 
speedy promotion was assured, and, on the 7tli of January, 1863, he was 
commissioned as lieutenant-colonel. Early in the following March, he 
was transferred to the Seventh Regiment, then belonging to the Ninth 
Corps, and with this command went to Kentucky. In the summer of 
1863 the Ninth Corps was sent to Mississippi to cooperate with General 
Grant's army in the reduction of Vicksburg. Thousands of men and offi- 
cers were prostrated by this short but arduous campaign. Colonel 
Arnold, naturally of a delicate organization, fell beneath the blow and 
was obliged to return home. He hoped to return to the service, but the 
disease which had fastened upon him could not be shaken off, and he 
was finally honorably discharged on account of physical disability. May 
28, 1864. Since that time, by exercising the utmost care, he has been at 
intervals, able to attend to his business, but he has never been strong. 
Little more than a year ago he was obliged to remain at home, and, grad- 
ually wasting away, on Tuesday afternoon quietly breathed his last. 

" Colonel Arnold was a singularly pure, brave, and good man. Spot- 
less among the vices of the camp, steadfast in the hour of action and 
duty, faithful and loyal in every position of trust and responsibility, 
with him 

' The path of duty was the way to glory.' 



FIFTH RHODK ISLAND HKAVY AUTII.I.KKV. 345 

" His career is an additional illustration of tlio capabilities of our citi- 
zen soldiery. With such defenders the Republic is secure. His com- 
rades of the Grand Army of the Kepublic honor themselves as well as 
him, when they speak of him as ' a soldier of perfect courage, a leader 
among his compeers, and a man of unsullied purity of life.' Next to 
living nobly is the power of appreciating nobleness. But mere words 
cannot add to the virtues of the dead, or sufficiently express their eulogy. 
Our friend has not really left us, for affection and memory will ever 
cherish the sweetness, beauty and simplicity of his life." 



Resolations adopted by Bodman Post, No. 12, G. A. li., upon the Death of 
Lieut.-Col. Job Arnold. 

At a meeting of Rodman Post, No. 12, Department of Rhode Island, 
Grand Army of the Republic, held Wednesday evening, Dec. 20 [186!1], 
the Commander announced the death of Lieut.-Col. Job ARNOLn, late of 
the Fifth and Seventh Rhode Island Volunteers, whereupon it was 

Resolved, That in the death of our late beloved comrade, Lieut.-Col. 
Job Arxold, we are called to mourn the loss of a soldier of perfect 
courage and endurance, an officer whose rare judgment made him a leader 
among his compeers, whose firmness and gentleness won the respect and 
affection of his subordinates, and whose military skill and promptness 
secured the confidence of his commanders, a patriot who willingly ac- 
cepted a lingering and painful illness and a premature death as the re- 
sult of his services to his country; a friend who was ever regardless of 
self in the service of those he loved, a man of cheerful temper, amiable 
heart and unsullied purity of life. 

Resolved, That as a token of our respect and alfection foroui- late com- 
rade, we will attend his funeral in a body. 

Resolved, That f^copy of these resolutions, attested by the signatures 
of the commander and adjutant of the post, be transmitted to the fam- 
ily of the deceased, and that copies of the same be ])ublislied in the 
newspapers of this city. 

William W. Douglas, Post Coiniiiander. 

S. S. Foss, 2d., Adjutant. 



346 HISTORY OF THK 



APPENDIX C. 



Genkral: 



Headquarters, 5th Regt., R. T. Voes., i 
Washington, N. C, April 20, 1863. ) 



I have the honor of transmitting to you a letter of thanks, from the 
commanding general of this Department, to the soldiers from our State 
who compose my command. In connection with the enclosed, I beg to 
submit the following report of the movement of the .5th R. I. Vols, 
therein referred to. 

A few days previous to April 10th, information reached Xew Berne 
that Major-General Foster, commanding this Department, who had gone 
to Washington, X. C, to inspect the garrison and defences there, was 
closely besieged by the enemy. He had with him for the defence of the 
city, the 27th and 44th Regiments, Mass. Vols., one company of the 3d 
Xew York Cavalry, and the gunboats Louisiana, Ceres, and Commodore 
Hull. 

An expedition, under the command of Brig.-Gen. Spinola, was im- 
mediately sent to his relief, but returned unsuccessful. Another under 
the same officer penetrated to Blount's Creek, but meeting the enemy 
strongly fortified likewise returned without effecting its purpose. 

On Friday, 10th inst., I received orders from Brig. Gen. Palmer to 
proceed with my command to Washington by water. Gen. Palmer sig- 
nified his intention to take command of the expedition, and Lieut.-Col. 
Southard Hoffman, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General to General Fos- 
ter, determined to accompany us. Accordingly, ai about one o'clock, 
p. SI., we embarked on board the transport steamer Escort, Captain 
Wall, and started from New Berne. The next morning we arrived in 
Pamlico River, and anchored a short distance from Maul's Point, ten 
miles below the city of Washington. Here we found a fleet of five gu7i- 
boats, and some transports, loaded with provisions, ammunition and 
forage; being prevented from ascending the river by a blockade Avhich 
the enemy had established at Hill's Point, and three formidable bat- 
teries; one at the Point, another at Swan's Point, nearly opposite, 
and another at Rodman's Point, commanding tlie river and the city. 
The blockade consisted of a triple row of piles, extending across the 
river, with the exception of a passage about a hundred feet wide and 
four hundred feet from the shore, and directly under the guns of the 
battery. To increase the difficulty in finding the crooked channel the 
enemy had removed all the buoys in the river. 



FIFTH KHOUE ISLAND llIiAVY AlMIl.l.KKY. 347 

Saturday was passed in loading with provisions and ammunition from 
off the transports and in piling bales of hay on deck so as to protect 
the engine and boilers from shot and shell. On Sunday morning, in ac- 
cordance with orders from General Palmer, we got under way and slowly 
approached the opening in the blockade and the Hill's Point Battery. 
A fog had arisen about daybreak and soon became so dense as to pre- 
vent our further progress, and we were ordered to return to our anchor- 
age. When the fog lifted the gunboats commenced bombarding the 
battery at long range, but with no visible effect. 

Monday morning fifty volunteers from the regiment were sent on 
shore, under command of Capt. William W. Douglas and Lieut. Dutee 
Johnson, Jr. The landing was covered by the gunboat Valley City, and 
was effected a short distance below Blount's Creek. 

The reconnoissance was conducted with success and credit to the com- 
manding officers and the men who were engaged in it. They discovered 
three batteries on the west bank of the creek commanding its passage, 
and preventing our approach to Washington by land. 

In consideration of the previous attempts to reach Washington, and 
of the situation of our noble commander and the brave men from our 
sister State who composed the garrison, I considered it my duty to offer 
the services of my command to attempt the passage of the blockade. 
Accordingly I dispatched Major Jameson to General Palmer, who was 
on board the Southfield, to volunteer ourselves for such an expedition. 
He reijorted that General Palmer did not feel warranted in ordering us 
upon an enterprise of this nature, as it was impossible for him to ac- 
company us, and as the attempt of Sunday morning assured him of the 
extreme peril with which it would be attended, but he would allow 
me to make the trial, if in my judgment it were practicable, and offered 
me the assistance of the gunboats if I determined to go. After further 
deliberation and consultation with my lieutenant-colonel and major, I 
decided that the ol^ject of the expedition was of sufficient importance 
to demand the risk I proposed to assume. 

At eight o'clock, therefore, on Monday evening, we again weighed 
anchor, and started for Washington. The officers and men not on duty 
were placed beloAV, by peremptory orders, so as to assure their safety as 
far as possible. Lieutenant-Colonel Tew and Major Jameson remained 
with me on deck, together with the officer of the day, Capt. Henry B. 
Landers; the officer of the guard, Lieut. Thomas Allen, and a company 
of sharpshooters, who volunteered for the purpose, under commanil of 
Capt. Isaac M. Potter. 

Our pilot steered us safely through the passage in the blockade, graz- 
ing only once the piles. Just as we cleared the obstructions, the battery 
opened upon us a terrific fire from a distance of .some four hundred 
yards. Our progress was very slow, owing to the shallowness of the 
water and the extreme crookedness of the channel. The gunboats en- 
gaged the battery and distracted their attention somewhat, but did not 



348 HISTORY OK THK 

pass above the blockade. The shots from the enemy, as I had antici- 
pated, were thrown very much at random, on account of the darkness, 
and we passed by unhurt. 

The battery on the opposite shore, at Swan's Point, attempted to pay 
their respects to us, but succeeded in paying us only an empty compli- 
ment. As the channel became wider and deeper, we crowded on all 
steam and soon passed over the six or eight miles separating us from 
Rodman's Point. Here the navigation became more intricate, and we 
were twice obliged to stop completely in order to be certain of our sit- 
uation. The enemy at Fort Rodman were prepared to greet us warmly, 
as the previous firing below had warned them of our approach. The 
channel lay close to the bank, and their guns opened upon us at about 
three hundred yards distance. Although they wei-e better aimed than 
before, the shots passed harmlesslj'^ over us, only a few striking the boat 
and lodging in the hay. The shore was lined with sharpshooters who 
fired upon the steamer, with no effect except to provoke a few answer- 
ing shots from our men. 

Another mile j^assed at full speed brought us to the wharf at Wash- 
ington without injury to any one on board. Our passage of the block- 
ade with a large unarmed steamer convinced the enemy of its ineffi- 
ciency; and, despairing of their attemjit to starve out the garrison, they 
evacuated their works during Tuesday night, 14tli instant, and left us in 
undisputed possession of the post. 

I cannot close before mentioning the gallant conduct of my officers 
and men during the period of suspense through which we passed. 
Tiieir self-possession and ready obedience was extremely gratifying to 
me, and justifies a confidence that they will never prove recreant in the 
hour of danger. 

I would speak particularly of Lieutenant-Colonel Tew and ^[ajor 
Jameson, whose advice and support materially aided me in the concep- 
tion and execution of our undertaking; of Captain William W. Douglas, 
who, during the reconnoisance of Monday morning, displayed great 
coolness and bravery in proceeding in company with Sergeant-Major 
Joseph J. Hatlinger, in advance of his men, directly under the enemy's 
guns, to prepare an accurate sketch of their position. Captains Henry 
B. Landers and Isaac M. Potter, and Lieutenant Thomas Allen and 
Sergeants Mott and Couger were at their posts on deck during the 
night, and ably performed their respective duties. 

I beg to enclose herewith a iilan of the position and defences of Wash- 
ington and the lines of the besieging forces, executed by Lieutenant 
De Meulen, of Company E. 

I am sir, with respect, 

Henrv T. Sisson, 

Col. Com\lg Fifth Rer/t. E. I. Vols. 
To Brig. (ren. E. C. IVEaurax, 

Ailft-Gen. State of B. I. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTIM.EKV. 349 

Headquauters 5th R. I. Vols., | 

New Berne, X. C, April 25th, 186:5. \ 
General: 

In completion of my report of our expedition to Washington. I heg to 
transmit the following report of the movements of the Fifth Regiment 
after our arrival there. 

Almost immediately after the landing we were assigned positions in 
the trenches and forts on the right of the line of defen.se, where we re- 
mained until the enemy evacuated. On Thursday afternoon, April Kith, 
Ave companies (D, E, G, H and I,) were detailed, under command of 
Lieutenant-Colonel Tew, to take possession of Rodman's Point. A boat's 
crew from the gunboat Ceres had been repulsed in an attempt to land 
there two hours before, and the Acting Engineer was killed. It became 
evident that the severe rain of the previous night had made transpor- 
tation so difficult as to retard the movements of the artillery and bag- 
gage trains of the enemy, and to require a strong rear guard for their 
protection. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Tew therefore made preparations to meet a consid- 
erable force, and by skillful manoiuvering accomplished the landing with- 
out loss. Captain Robinson's company ((t) was put in advance, and, pro- 
ceeding along the road, came in sight of a company of the enemy about 
three-quarters of a mile from the landing. Deploying his company, he 
jidvauced cautiously and immediately attacked them. After a sharp 
skirmish, in which he displayed great coolness and bravery, he dislodged 
them, killing one man and taking three prisoners — a captain, lieutenant 
and a drum-major. Having set lire to the building in which the enemy 
had quartered. Captain Robinson fell back about one-fourth of a mile, 
and, under the direction of Lieutenant-Colonel Tew, posted his pickets 
so as to command every approach to his position. The enemy's pickets 
were posted about two hundred yards from ours, and exchanged shots 
with them repeatexlly during the night. The whole detachment formed 
promptly in line at each alarm, but no other attack was made, and in the 
morning our scouts could not discover the enemy within five miles 
of the Point. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Tew throughout the whole movement was ever at 
the post of greatest danger, displaying the utmost self-possession and 
skill in disposing of his small force to the greatest advantage. 

On Saturday, the 18th instant, the remaining companies of tlie Regi- 
ment were ordered to Rodman's Point, with the exception of Company 
C, w^hich was stationed at "Grade's House," about a mile from Wash- 
ington on the road to New Berne. During the night the breastworks of 
the enemy were destroyed, and one was thrown up by our men, defend- 
ing the Point from a land attack. On Sunday, 19th instant, an expedi- 
tion from New Berne, under the command of Generals Foster, Wessels, 
Naglee, and Heckman, came through without meeting any force, and 



350 HISTORY OF THE 

ascertained that the enemy had definitely abandoned their designs on 
Washington. 

On Wednesday morning (22d) we received orders to embark for IS'ew 
Berne, leaving three companies at Rodman's Point, and started at about 
ten o'clock A. m., on the steamer Thomas Colyer. We arrived at New 
Berne at twelve the same night. The other companies were relieved 
April 24th, and joined the regiment at New Berne this morning. 

We are thus again united at Camp Anthony, ready for other conflicts 
in defense of our glorious Union, when circumstances shall demand ac- 
tion, and our gallant commander shall invite us to new victories. 

I am, General, with great respect. 

Tour obedient servant, 

Henry T. Sisson, 

Col. Comd'y Fifth B. I. Vols. 
To Brig.-Gen. E. C. Maukan, 

Aclft-Gen. Stale of Ehoile Island. 



In this connection and at the request of Colonel Sisson, we publisli 
the following record of Quartermaster-Sergeant Fred. S. Gifford, of the 
Forty-fourth Massachusetts Infantry. It certainly shows a commendable 
spirit of pluck and enterprise on his part, and deserves honorable men- 
tion. We quote his own words in a communication to Colonel Sisson: 

" Leaving New Berne some time after the eight companies of my regi- 
ment went up to Little Washington with their knapsacks, which had 
been left behind at the time of their hurried departure, I took the 
steamer Phamix, deeply loaded with commissary stores, en route for Lit- 
tle Washington. Bad weather delayed us at the mouth of the Neuse 
River for two days ; after which we steamed up Pamlico Sound, until 
about five miles below Hill's Point, we saw what appeared to be a raft, 
with a signal of distress flying, on our starboard beam, distant two or 
three miles. We changed our course to pick them up, and found them 
to be what was left of a detachment of the First North Carolina (loyal) 
Volunteers, who had been sent down from Little Washington to take 
and hold Rodman's Point, but were driven back on to their raft, with 
Capt. Lyon and two others wounded, and one man killed. We took 
them on board, proceeding up to as near Hill's Point as we could anchor 
without getting in range of their guns. We remained several days, 
watching the gunboats engage the battery on the Point, until the steamer 
Escort, with your regiment on board, came from New Berne. On learn- 
ing your intentions of attempting to run the blockade, I asked permis- 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HKAVV AKTIIXKRY. 351 

sion to transfer the knapsacks to your steamer, and I remained with yon 
until the Escort arrived at Little Washington. 

Fked, S. Giffoiu), 

Late Quartermaster- Serc/eant Forty-fourth Mass. Vols.'" 

Colonel Sisson while in Little Washington acquainted Governor An- 
drew of the action and bravery of Sergeant GifEord, and he immediately 
forwarded him a commission in recognition of his services. 



APPENDIX D. 



Partial Military History of the Fifthi Rhode Island 
Infantry, Subsequently Fifth Rhode Island Heavy 
Artillery. 



[These records were obtained from the Adjutants' General's Office, U. S. A., iu answer 
to a letter from Colonel James Moran to Gen. R. C. Drum, March 9, 1887.] 

The records of the above organization show the following movements 
and stations from March 18, 1862, to June 30, 1865: 

March 19, 1862, Battalion left Camp Pierce, near New Berne, N. C, 
marched twenty-two miles to Havelock Station, Atlantic and North Caro- 
lina liailroad arriving March 2flth; remained until March 23d, when 
Companies A, B, and C, with major and staff marched on railroad to 
Newport Barracks, eight miles. 

April 4th, Battalion marched to Carolina City, N. C. 

April 6th, left Carolina City and crossed over to Bogne Banks. 

April 30th, left Bogue Banks for Fort Macon, N. C. 

June 30th, left Fort Macon for Beaufort. N. C. 

August 7th, left Beaufort and embarked on steamer Union for New 
Berne, N. C. 

For reports of expeditions in October, November and Deceuiber. 1862, 
see Vol. XYIIL, reports of operations of Union and Confederate armies, 
1861-5. 

Col. Henry T. Sisson assumed command of the Regimant, Jan. 12, 1863. 

For report of attack on New Berne, N. C, March 14, 1863, sec Vol. 
XVIIL, reports of operations of Union and Confederate armies. 

The records of the Eighteenth Army Corps (Department of North 
Carolina) show that on the 16th day of May, 1863, Col. ironry T. Sisson, 



352 HISTORY OF THli 

commanding Fifth Kliode Island Volunteers, made application for 
change of arm of service. (Action at Corps headquarters. File.) 

There is nothing in the correspondence of General Foster to the secre- 
tary of war or General Halleck relating to said change. 

Headquarters Chief of Artillery Eighteenth Army Corps, 
New Berne, IST. C, May 11, 1863. 
Special Orders, No. 61. 

[Extract.] 
Par. 1. Col. H. T. Sisson commanding .5th R. I. Vols, will immediately 
move three companies of his regiment into Fort Totten, and two into 
Fort Rowan, and will assume command of those forts. 
By command of 
Gen. J. H. Ledlie, Chief of Artillery, Eiyhteenth Army Corps. 
A. H. Davis, Assistant Adjutant-General. 

Station hy companies from May 1, 1863, to June 30, 1865: 

Co. A. May, 1863, to Oct. 16, 1863, Fort Totten, N. C. 

October 17th to Xov. o, 1863, Havelock Station, X. C. 
Nov. 6, 18G3, to May 10, 1864, Croatan, N. C. 
May 11, 1864, to Sept. 29, 1861, Fort Amory, N. C. 
Sept. 30, 1864, to March 20, 186.5, Fort Chase, K C. 
March 21 to May 7, 1865, Fort Totten, N. C. 
May 8 to June 6, 1865, Evans Mills, N. C. 
June 7 to 30, 1865, Camp Smith, N. C. 

The following note api^ears on the muster roll of Co. A for January 
and February, 1864: 

" On the second of February, 1864, this company was ordered to aban- 
don Croatan to the enemy and retreat to New Berne. Having no means 
of transportation, part of the company property was destroyed. On 
February 4th were ordered to return to Croatan; distance marched, 
twelve miles." 



Headquarters Fifth Rhode Island Artillery, 

New Berne, N. C, February 3, 1864. 
Special Orders, No. 22. 

[Extract.] 

Par. 2. Lieutenant Johnson, commanding Co. A, Fifth Rhode Island 
Artillery, will proceed to the depot to-morrow morning, arriving there 
at an hour not later than 8 o'clock a. m. With his company well armed, 
he will embark with his command on the train destined for Morehead 
City, to act as guard for said train; should the train succeed in proceed- 
ing below Croatan, and, finding the enemy fallen back. Lieutenant John- 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTILLERY. 353 

son, oil the return of the train to Croatan, will disembark with his com- 
mand, when, it is presumed, he will be able to reclaim what was left by 
the ofldcers and men at Croatan. 

By order of Col. IIexky T. Sisson. 

James M. Wheaton, Lieutenant and Adjutant. 

Co. B. May 1 to 14, 1863, Camp Anthony, ISTew Berne, N. C. 

May 14th, broke camp at Camp Anthony, N. C, and removed to 

Fort Totten, N. C. 
May 15 to Aug. 20, 1863, Fort Totten, N. C. 
Aug. 21, 1863, to June 30, 1865, Fort Spinola, N. C. 
Co. C. May 6, 1863, to Sept. 22, 1863, Fort Totten, N. C. 

September 23d to 25th, inclusive, on board U. S. transport 

Vidette for Ilatteras Inlet, X. C. 
September 26th, Fort Ilatteras, N. C. 
September 27th, left Fort Hatteras on board U. S. transport 

Col. Rucker for Washington, 1!!^. C. 
September 28th, arrived at Washington, X. C. 
Sept. 29 to Oct. 26, 1863, Fort Washington, X. C. 
Oct. 27, 1863, left Washington, N. C, and arrived at Hill's Point, 

N. C. 
Oct. 28, 1863, to April 27, 1864, Hill's Point, N. C. 
April 27tli, left Hill's Point, and assigned to western defences 

of Washington, X. C. 
April 28th, 29th, 30th, defences of Washington, N. C. 
May 1, 1864, on U. S. transport Louisa Moore. 
May 2d to 4th, inclusive, Fort Totten, X. C. 
May 5th to 20th, inclusive, Fort Union, N. C. 
May 21, 1864, to March 3, 1865, Fort Gaston, X. C. 
March 4th and 5th, Fort Amory, X. C. 
March 6 to June 6, 1865, Evans Mill. X. C. 
June 7th and 8th, Camp Spinola, X. C. 
June 9 to 30, 1865, Camp Smith, X. C. 
Co. D. May 14, 1863, to Aug. 21, 1833, Fort Totten, X. C. 
Aug. 22 to Oct. 14, 1863, Fort Amory, X. C. 
Oct. 15, 1863, to April 20, 1864, Fort Totten, X. C. 
April 21st, on steamer Pawtuxent. 
April 22 to May 1, 1864, Fort Hatteras, X. C. 
May 2 to June 1, 1864, Fort Foster, Roanoke Island. 
June 2 to Dec. 31, 1864, Fort Parke, Roanoke Island. 
Jan. 1 to March 5, 1865, Fort Reno, Roanoke Island. 
March 6th to 20th, Fort Totten, :S. C. 
March 21 to April 30, 1865, Fort Chase, X. C. 
May 1 to 9, 1865, Forts Sutton and Chase, X. C. 
23 



354 HISTORY OF THE 

Co. D. May lOtli to June 7tli, Fort Sutton, N. C. 

June 8 to June 30, 1865, Camp Smith, N. C. 
Co. E. May 5, 1863, to Aug. 20, 1863, Fort Totten, N. C. 

Aug. 21 to Sept. 22, 1863, Fort Gaston, N. C. 

September 23d and 24tli, on board steamer Vidette for Hat- 
teras, N. C. 

September 25th, 26th and 27th, Fort Clark, Cape Hatteras. 

September 27th, left Fort Clark on steamer Col. Bucker for 

Washington, N. C. 
September 28, to October 24, 1863, Fort Washington, N. C. 

Oct. 25, 1863, to April 27, 1864, Rodman's Point, N. C. 

April 27, 1864, left Eodman's Point and went into Fort Washing- 
ton, N. C. 

April 30, 1864, left Washington, N. C. 

May 1st to 19th, Fort Totten, N. C. 

May 20, 1864, to March 2, 1865, Fort Chase, N. C. 

March 3 to May 6, 1865, Fort Totten, N. C. 

May 7 to June 8, 1865, Fort Spinola, K C. 

June 9 to 30, 1865, Camp Smith, N. C. 
Co. F. May 1, 1863, to May 10, 1864, Fort Rowan, K C. 

May 21, 1864, to March 2, 1865, Fort Anderson, N. C. 

March 3, 1865, to May 5, 1865, Fort Totten, N. C. 

May 6 to June 7, 1865, Fort Amory, N. C. 

June 8 to 30, 1865, Camp Smith, N. C. 
Co. G. May, 1863, to Oct. 14, 1863, Fort Totten, N. C. 

Oct. 15, 1863, to Sept. 30, 1864, Fort Amory, K C. 

Oct. 1, 1864, to Dec. 18, 1864, Fort Spinola, N. C. 

Dec. 19, 1864, to June 6, 1865. Fort Anderson, N. C. 

June 7 to 29, 1865, Camp Smith, N. C. 
Co. H. May 12, 186-3, to Aug. 20, 1863, Fort Totten, N, C. 

Aug. 21, 1863, to April 28, 1864, Fort Stevenson, N. C. 

April 29, 1864, to May 14, 1864, Fort Anderson, X. C. 

May 15 to 18, 1864, Fort Union, N. C. 

May 19 to Dec. 17, 1864, Fort Anderson, N". C. 

Dec. 18, 1864, to March 1, 1865, Fort Spinola, N. C. 

March 2, 1865, to June 7, 1865, Fort Stevenson, N. C. 

June 8 to 30, 1865, Camp Smith, N. C. 
Co. I. May 5, 1863, to Aug, 19, 1863, Fort Rowan, N. C. 

Aug. 20 to Sept. 22, 1863, Fort Totten, IS". C. 

September 2.Sd to 27th, Hatteras Inlet, N". C. 

Sept. 28, 1863, to Dec. 1, 1863, Fort Clark, IST. C. 

Dec. 2, 1863, to April 20, 1864, Fort Totten, N. C. 

April 21 to April 29, 1864, Hatteras, N. C. 

April 30 to June 2, 1864, Fort Parke, Roanoke Island. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 35o 

Co. I. June 3cl, steamer Rockland. 

June 4, 1864, to June 7, 1865, Fort Gaston, X. C. 
June 8 to 19, 1865, Fort Spinola, X. C. 
June 20 to 27, 1865, Camp Smith, N. C. 
Co. K. May 5, 1863, to Sept. 22, 1863, Fort Rowan. X. C. 

Sept. 23, 1863, to Xov, 28, 1863, Fort Totten, X, C. 

Nov. 29, 1863, to May 31, 1864, Fort Gaston, X. C. 

June 1, 1864, on board steamer Euckland. 

June 2, 1864, to March 5, 1865, Fort Foster, X. C. 

March 5, 1865, on board steamer Ellen Getty. 

March 6, 1865, to April 8, 1865, Fort Amory, X. C. 

April 9 to April 30, 1865, Forts l!owan and Button, X. C- 

May 1 to June 6, 1865, Fort Rowan, X. C. 

June 7 to 29, 1865, Camp Smith, X. C. 



Headquarters Forces and Defences of Xew Berne, (ISth A. C.) 

X^ew Berne, X. C, Aug. 19, 1863. 
Special Orders, No. 71. 

[Extract.] 

The coniiraanding officer 5th R. I. Vols, will make the following dispo- 
sition of the companies of his regiment: 

Xo. 1. One company will be sent to Fort Gaston to relieve a comjiany 
of the 132d X. Y. Vols. 

Xo. 2. One company will be sent to Fort Spinola to relieve a company 
of the 23d Mass. Vols. 

"No. 3. One company will be sent to Fort Stevenson to relieve a com- 
pany of the 25th Mass. Vols. 

Xo. 4. One company will be sent to Fort Amory. 

No. 5. Two companies will be sent to Fort Rowan. 

No. 6. Four companies will form the garrison of Fort Totten. 

By command of 

Brig. Gen. I. X. Palmer. 
(Sgd.) J. A. JuDSON, A. A. G. 



Headqrs. Army and District of Xortii Carolina. 

New Berne, X. C, Sept. 21, 1863. 
Special Orders, No. 34. 

[Extract.] 

Par. V. Three companies 5th R. I. Arty., including one company no>y 
at Fort Gaston, will at once proceed to Forts Ilatteras and Clark for 
duty, relieving a detachment of the 1st X. C. Vols. 

By command of Maj. Gen. Peck, 

(Sgd.) Benj. F. Foster, A. A. G. 



356 history of the 

Headqrs. Army axd District of North Carolina, 

New Berne, N. C, Sept. 25, 1863. 
Special Orders, No. oS. 

Par. IX. The following disposition of the three companies R. I. Hy. 
Arty., ordered by Par. V., S. O. :34, to proceed to Forts Hatteras and 
Clark, is hereby ordered. One company to remain on duty at those 
works, two companies to i^roceed to Washington and be reported to the 
commanding officer sub ..isti-ict of the Pamlico. 

By command of Maj. Gen. Peck. 

(Sgd.) Benj. F. Foster, A. 4. G. 

Headqrs. Sub District of the Pamlico, 

Washington, N. C, Sept. 28. 1863. 
Special Orders, No. 21. 

[Extract] 
Par. 1. The commanding ofhcer of theoSth Pa. Vols, will relieve two 
companies of his command, now on duty at Fort Washington. 

Tlieir duty will be assumed by two companies of the 5th R. I. Hy. 
Arty. 

Par. VII. Capt. Hopkins, .">th R. I. Hy. Arty, is hereby ordered to as- 
sume command of Fort Wasliington and the forces therein stationed. 

By command of Col. Pickett. 

(Sgd.) Hexry McCoxville, Lt. and A. A. A. G. 

Headqrs. Sub District of the Pamlico, 

Washington, N. C, Oct. 21, 1863. 
Special Orders, No. 43. 

[Extract.] 

Par VII. The commanding officer of the 1st. ISJ". C. Vols, will send 
one company of the 5th R. I. Vols, to Rodman's Point. They will re- 
lieve the company from the 2oth Mass. Vols., now on duty there. 

By command of Col. J. Pickett. 

(Sgd.) Henry McCoxville, Lt. and A. A. A. G. 



Headqrs. Sub District of the Pamlico, 

Washington, N. C, Oct. 26, 1863. 
Special Orders, No. 45. 

[Extract.] 

Par. IV. The detachment of the 5th R. I. Hy. Arty., now at Fort 
Washington will proceed to Hill's Point to-morrow A. m. on the first 
boat. They will be at the wharf ready to embark at 8 o'clock A. m. 

By command of Col. J. Pickett. 

(Sgd.) Henry McConville, Lt. and A. A. A. G. 



FIFTH KIIODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTILLERY. 357 

Headqus. Sub-Distkict of the Pamlico, 

' . , ^ , ,. Washington, X. C, April 27, 1804. 

Special Orders, No. 99. 

[Extract.] 

Pars. IV, and V. Company E, 5th R. I. Arty, is relieved from duty 
at Rodman's, and Company C, .5tli R. I. Arty, is relieved from duty at 
Hill's Point, and will report at once in heavy marching order to Col. .J. 
M. McChesney, 1st N. C. Vols., commanding western defences of Wash- 
ington. 

By command of Gen. Hari-axd. 

(Sgd.) AV. M. Pratt, A. A. A. G. 

Head Qr's Sub District of Xew Berxe, 

Xew Berne, X. C, April 28, 1864. 
Special Orders, No. 54. 

[Extract.] 

Par. III. Capt. Wni. R. Landers 5th R. I. H'y Art'y, comd'g Fort Ste- 
venson, will proceed with his company to Fort Anderson and report to 
Maj. W. A. Amory, 2d Mass. H'y Art'y. 

By command of Col. T. J. C. Amory, 

(Sgd.) E. T. Parkixsox, A. A. G. 



Head Qr's Sub District of Xew Berxe, 

Xew Berne, X. C, May 1, 18G4. 
Special Orders, No. 57. 

[Extract.] 

Par. II. Col. Henry T. Sisson. commanding 5th R. I. Art'j', will place 
the two companies of his regiment from Washington in Fort Totten, 
N. C, thereby relieving two companies of the 99th Xew York Vols. 

By command of T. J. C. Amorv, 

(.Sgd.) E. T. Pakkixsox, A. A. G. 



Head Qr's Sub District of Xew Berxe, 

S"ew Berne. X. C, May 3, 1804. 

Special Orders, No. 59. 

[Extract.] 

Par. II. 2nd Lieut. C. W. Howland, 5th R. I. Art'y, will proceed at 
once with 15 men of his regiment to Roanoke Island. lie will report 
immediately upon arrival to the commanding officer for orders. 

Camp and Garrison Equipage will be taken. . . . 



358 HISTORY OF THE 

Pab. IV. . . . The company at Fort Rowan to perform the necessary- 
guard duty at the Rail Road Valley Post near that Fort ; also the com- 
pany doing duty at Fort Stevenson will relieve the guard from the 15th 
Conn. Vols, at "Jack's Bridge" and Railroad bridge. 

Par. VI. Col. Kenry T. Sisson, commanding 5th R. I. H'y Art'y, will 
detail a company from his regiment for garrison duty at Fort Union. . 
By command of Col. T. J. C. Amory, 

(Sgd.) E. T. Parkinson, A. A. G. 



Head Qr's 5th R. I. Heavy Artillery, 

New Berne, N. C, May 4, 1864. 
Special Orders, No. 79. 

[Extract.] 

Par. I. In accordance with instructions from Head Q'rs Sub Dis'ct of 
Nqw Berne, Company " C," 5th R. I. H'y Art'y, is hereby detailed for 
garrison duty at Fort Union. Capt. Wm. W. Douglas, 5th R. I. H'y Art'y, 
will assume command of said Fort. . . . 

By order of Col. H. T. Sisson. 

(Sgd.) Chas. F. Gladding, 1st Lt. cfc Adjt. 



Head Qr's Sub District of New Berne, 

New Berne, N. C, May 14, 1864. 
Special Orders, No. 70. 

[Extract.] 

Par. III. The company of the 5th R. I. Art'y, now at Fort Anderson, 
is relieved, and will report to Col. Sisson, com'dg 5th R. I, Art'y, who 
will assign the company to duty at Fort Union. 

By command of Gen'l Harland, 

(Sgd.) Wm. M. Pratt, Lt. and A. A. A. G. 



Head Qr's 5th R. I. Artillery, 

New Berne, N. C, May 14, 1864. 
Special Orders, No. 85. 

[Extract.] 

Par. III. In accordance with S. O. 70, Par. III., from H'd Q'rs Sub 
Dis'ct of New Berne, Ca^jt. H. B. Landers, commanding Co. " H," 5th 
R. I. Art'y, will proceed with his company to Fort Union, and report to 
Capt. Wm. W. Douglas, commanding Fort Union. 

By order of Col. H. T. Sisson, 

(Sgd.) L. L. BuRDON, 2d Lt. & Act. Adjt. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTH.LKRY. 359 

Head Qr's Sub District of New Berne, 

New Berne, N. C, May 18, 1864. 

Special Orders, No. 74. 

[Extract.] 

Par. I. Col. H. T. Sisson, 5tli R. I. H'y Art'y, is relieved from the 
command of the Forts south of the Neuse River. The seven companies 
of the 5th R. I. H'y Arfy now in this Sub Dis'ct, will be stationed as 
follows : 

Two companies at Fort Anderson. 

One company at Fort Amory. 

One company at Fort Chase. 

One company at Fort Spinola. 

Two companies at Fort Gaston. 

Col. Sisson will send three of the companies of his rei^iment now sta- 
tioned between the Neuse and Trent rivers to report to tha officer in com- 
mand of Forts Anderson and Chase; and one company to report to Col. 
Amory, commanding south side Trent River. 

By command of Brig.-Gen. Harland, 

(Sgd.) W.M. M. Pratt, A. A. A. G. 



Head Qr's 5th R. I. Artili.ei:y, 

New Berne, N. C, May 18, 1864. 
Special Orders, No. 87. 

[Extract.] 

Par. IV. In accordance with S. O. No. 71, Par. I., H'd Q'rs Sub Dis'ct 
of New Berne, Capt. Wm. W. Douglas, 5th R. I. Art'y, is hereby relieved 
of the command of Fort Union, and is directed to report with his com- 
pany to Col. T. J. C. Amory, commanding forces and defences south side 
Trent River. 

Par. V. In accordance with S. O. No. 74, Par. I., from H'd Q'rs Sub 
Dis'ct of New Berne, Co. "H," 5th R. I. Art'y is hereby relieved from 
duty at Fort Union, and Capt. H. B. Landers is directed to report with 
his command to Maj. Amory, commanding Fort Anderson. 

Par. VI. In accordance with S. O. No. 74, Par I., from H'd Q'rs Sub 
Dis'ct of New Berne, Company "F," 5th R. I. Art'y, is liereby relieved 
from duty at Fort Rowan, and Lieut. Douglass is directed to report with 
his command to Maj. Amory, commanding Fort Anderson. 

Par. VII. In accordance with S. O. No. 74, Par. I., from Il'd Q'rs Sub 
Dis'ct of New Berne, Company "E," 5th R. L Art'y, is hereby relieved 
from duty at Fort Totten, and Capt. Hopkins is directed to report to 
Maj. Amoi-y, commanding Fort Anderson. 

By command of Col. H. T. SissoN, 

(Sgd.) L. L. BuRDON, 2d Lieut, and Act. Adft. 



360 HISTORY OF THE 

Head Qr's 5th K. I. H'y Artillery, 

New Berne, K C, Sept. 29, 1S64, 
Special Orders, No. 171. 

Par. I. In accordance with orders from H'd Q'rs Sub Dis'ct of New 
Berne, Company "G," .5tli R. I. H. Artillery, will be transferred to Fort 
Spinola, and Company "A," .5th R. I. Artillery, to Fort Chase, as soon as 
the present garrison of Fort Amory shall have been relieved by a com- 
pany of the 2d Mass. Art'y. 

By order of Lt.-Col. Geo. W. Tew, 

(Sgd.) E. F. Angell, 1st Lt. and Act. Adjt. 



Head Qr's .5th 11. I. H'y Art'y, 

New Berne, N. C, December 9, 1864. 
Special Orders, No. 242. 

Par. I. The companies of the 5th R. I. Artillery serving in the Sub 
Dis'ct, in accordance with instruction from Sub Dis'ct H'd Q'rs, will re- 
port in light marching order this evening at eight o'clock, at these H'd 
Q'rs ; each man will be provided with 60 rounds of ammunition and 
three days' rations of pork, hard bread, coffee and sugar. . . . 

By order of Capt. 1. M. Potter, 

(Sgd.) Chas. F. Gladding, Lt. & Adft. 



Special Orders, No. 2.50. 



Head Qrs. 5th R. I. Artillery, 

New Berne, N. C, Dec. 18th, 1864. 

[Extract.] 



Par. II. Capt. John H. Robinson, 5th R. I. Arty., will, upon the ar- 
rival of the boat at Fort Spinola, embark with his company ( " G" ) for 
Fort Anderson, and relieve Capt. H. B. Landers, commanding said Fort. 

Par. III. Lieut. Angell, 5tli R. I. Artillery, will at the same time 
proceed to Fort Anderson and relieve Lieut. II. P. Williams, 5th R. I. 
Art'y, commanding Co. " H." Having taken command of said com- 
pany, he will remove with his command to Fort Spinola, and there oc- 
cupy the quarters vacated by company " G." 

By order of Capt. I. M. Potter, 

(Sgd.) Charles F. Gladding, 1st. Lieut, and Adjt. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTILLERY. 361 

Head Qr's. 5th R. I. Ahtilt.erv, 

Xew Berne, X. C, March 2. ISOo. 
Special Orders, Xo. 61. 

[Extract.] 

Pak. II. Capt. Wm. R. Landers, company "F" 'Ah II. I. Art'y, ^vill 
immediately move with his company to Fort Totten, assuming com- 
mand. . . . 

Par. III. Lieut. E. F. Angell, commanding Co. "II" .5th R. I. 
Art'y, will remove with his company to Fort Stevenson, assuming com- 
mand. . . . 

Par. VIII. Lieut. John B. Landers, .5th R. I. Art'y, leaving hehind 
to garrison Fort Chase, one Sergt., one Corp'l, and nine privates, will 
move with the remainder of his command to Fort Totten, where he will 
report to Capt. Wm. li. Landers, 5th R. I. Arty, assigned to the com- 
mand of said Fort. 

Sergt. Major Patrick Hayes will be placed in charge of the garrison 
left at Fort Chase. 

Par. IX. . . . Lieut. H. B. Bateman, 5th R. I. Arty., will move 
with Company "C" to Fort Amory, of which he will assume com- 
mand. . . . 

By order of Lieut. Col. Geo. W. Teav, 

Co)nm(.V(j Forts. 

(Sgd.) B. F. UXDERWOOD, 

ist Lt. and Adjt. 



Head Qr's .5tii R. I. Artillery, 

Xew Berne, X. C, M"ch 5, 1S65. 

Special Orders, No. 04. 

[Extract.] 
Par. II. Capt. E. De Meulen, comd'g company " K " is hereby or- 
dered to proceed Avith his company to Fort Amory assuming com- 
mand. . . . 

Par. III. 1st. Sergt. Greene commanding company "D, " 5th R. I. 
Arty., is hereby ordered to report with his command to Cajit. Wm. I!. 
Landers, 5th R. I. Arty., commd'g Fort Totten. 

Par. IV. . . . Lt. Bateman, 5th R. I. Arty., will move with his 
company to Evans Mills. 

By order of Lt. Col. Tew, Comd'g Forts. 

(Sgd.) B. F. Underwood, 

1st. Lieut., and Adjt. 



362 HISTORY OF THE 

Head Qr's. 5th K. I, Artillery, 

New Berne, N. C, March 19, 1865. 
Special Onlers> No. 78. 

[Extract.] 
Par. I. Lieut. W. H. Luther, 5th R. I. Arty., having reported for duty 
to Lt. Col. Tew, is hereby ordered to proceed with his company (D) to 
Fort Chase . . . assuming command. . . . 

Par. II. On the arrival of Company "D" at Foi-t Chase, Sergt. 
Major Hayes will take the present garrison to Fort Totten, reporting 
the men to Capt. Landers, himself returning to Regtl. Hd. Qrs, . , . 

By order of Lt. Col. Tew, 

Commandinrj Forts. 
(Sgd.) B. F. Underwood, 

1st Lieut, and Adjt. 



Special Orders, No. 98. 



Head. Qr's. 5th R. I. Arty., 

New Berne, N. C, April 8, 1865. 

[Extract.] 



Par. II. . . . Capt. E. De Meulen, 5th R. I. Arty., will proceed 
with his company to Forts Rowan and Button. 

By order of Lieut. Col. Tew., 

(Sgd.) B. F. Underwood, 1st Lt. and Adjt. 



Hd. Qr's. .5Tn R. I. Arty., 
New Berne, N. C, April 24, 1865. 
Special Orders, No. 114. 

[Extract.] 
Par. I. Lieut. W. H. Luther, 5th R. I. Artillery, is hereby directed 
to take commond of Fort Button. . . . He will take to said fort all 
the men of his command, save 1 sei-gt., 2 corps, and 9 privates, Avho will 
be left to garrison Fort Chase, . . . He will still retain command of 
Fort Chase. 

By command of Lieut. Col. Teav, 

(Sgd.) B. F. Underwood, 

Isf Lieut, and Adjt. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 363 

Head Qr's oth R. I. Artillery. 

Special Orders, Xo. 126. "^"^ ""''"'^ ^- ^' '^^^ ^' '^''^ 

[Extract.] 

Par. IV. On being relieved from command of Fort Totten Capt. 
Wm. R. Landers, 5th R. I. Arty., will move with his company to Fori 
Amory, of which he will assume command. . . . 

Par. V. Lieut. Rowland, .5th R. L Arty., on being relieved from com- 
mand of Fort Amory, will take his men to Fort Spinola, where they will 
join their company. 

Par. VI. 1st Lieut. Geo. H. Pierce, 5th R. L Arty., commanding 
company " E," will report with his command to Capt. Potter, command*^ 
ing Fort Spinola. 

By order Lt. Col. Tew. 

Not Signed. 

Head Qr's .5th R. I. Artillery, 

„ . , Xew Berne. X. C, May S, 1865. 

Special Orders, No. 128. 

[Extract.] 
Par. IL Capt. John Aigan, 5th R. L Arty., is hereby ordered to 
proceed to Evans Mills, X. C, taking with him Co, "A" of which he 
will have immediate command. . . . 

By command of Lt. Col. Tew. 

Not signed. 



Head Qr's District of Beaufort, 

New Berne, X. C, June 5, 1865. 
Special Orders, Xo. 77. 

[Extract.] 

Par. I. In accordance with S. O. Xo. 79, Hd. Qr's Dept. of X. C. dated 
June 3d, 1865, the commanding officers of Forts Chase, Rowan, Amory, 
Anderson, Spinola, Gaston, Dutton and Stevenson, will immediately turn 
over the ordnance and ordnance stores of those works to Lieut. C. T. 
Pearce, Ordnance Officer District of Beaufort. Lt. Col. Tew, 5th R. I. 
Arty., is charged with the execution of this order. 

Par. III. The commanding officer 5th R. I. Arty., will immediately 
assemble his command at Fort Spinola and encam]) near that jilace. 

By command of Gen. I. X. Palmer, 

(Sgd.) J. W. Atwill, 

Ca2)t. and A. A. A. G. 



364 HISTORY OF THE 



Extracts from Official Report of Gen. I. N. Palmer of Rebel Attack on 
Neio Berne, N. C, Feb. 1, 1S64. 

New Berne, N. C, Feb 20, 1864. 
. . . The attack was commenced at about half-past two A. m. of the 
first instant, at the outposts, at the point where tlie Neuse road crosses 
" Bachelor's Creek," about eight miles from this place. . . . About 
noon the enemy appeared in force on all sides of the town. On the 
south side of the Trent Col. Amorj', of the 17th Mass. Yols. had been 
placed in (;ommand. ... As soon as the enemy appeared in front 
of their line, between the Neuse and the Trent, they were opened upon 
by the guns from Fort Totten . . . The sun went down without any 
attempt to assault the lines. ... At about three o'clock on the 
morning of the 2d a force consisting of about two hundred and fifty 
men of the rebel navy . . . surprised, captured and burned the U. 
S. gunboat "Underwriter," lying in tlie Neuse river. . . . The rifled 
gun from Fort Stevenson was brought to bear upon her, and the firing 
from that gun made it impossible for the captors to get the steamer 
away and she was fired . . . 

(Sgd.) I. X. Palmer, 7)'rij^. GenH Comd''g. 

[For report of a'.tack on Croatan, N. C, and capture of a portion of Co. "A," 5tli R. I. 
Arty, see letter of Col. H. T. Sisson, comd'g Regt., to Adj't Gen'l State of R. I., dated 
May 8, 18fi4.] 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTILI.ERY. 



365 



APPENDIX E. 



List of Promotions Recommended by Colonel Thomas G. 

Stevenson, Commanding Second Brigade, First 

Division, Department of North Carolina. 



New Berxe, X. C, Aug. 1:J, 1SG2. 

After a careful examination of the abilities of the following officers of 
the Fifth Rhode Island Regiment, I would respectfully recommend that 
they be a^jpointed to fill the positions set against their respective names: 



to be Major. 
'• '• Captain. 



' 1st Lieut. 



Captain Job Arnold, 

1st Lieut. W. W. Douglas, ' 

•' " John E. Snow, ' 

" " James M. Wheaton, ' 
" " George G. Hopkins, " 

2d " Henry B. Landers, " 
" " James Moran, " 

" . '' Benjiimin L. Hall, " 
" " James Gregg, " 

1st Sergt. Charles Taft, 
" " John H. Robinson, ' 



After a further examination I feel confident that I shall find several 
other warrant officers having qualities to make good commissioned offi- 
cers. 

Very Respectfulh', Your Obd't Servant, 

Tiros. G. Stevensox, 



Colonel ConuVg 2(1 Brig., 1st Div. 



To Maj.-Gen. J. G. Foster, 
ConuVg Dept. 



366 HISTORY OF THE 



Letter of Lieutenant-Colonel Job Arnold, Accepting Ap- 
pointment as Lieutenant-Colonel and Endorsing 
Recommendations of Colonel Sisson. 



Camp Anthony, New Berne, Feb. 13, 1863. 
To His Excellency Win. Sprayue, Governor of the State of Ehode Island. 

Dear Sir : Yours of the 30th ult. came to hand. I hasten to reply. 
I accept with much gratitude the position with which you have honored 
me, and will fill it to the best of my ability. Probably ere this comes to 
hand Colonel Sisson' s report will have reached you. Colonel Sisson 
called Major Tew and myself to deliberate upon the qualifications of 
those recommended for promotion. He has spoken in detail of each, and 
so nearly does his report confoi'm to my knowledge of them, I deem 
further particulars unnecessary. I heartily endorse his recommenda- 
tions. 

Allow me to call your attention to the fact that Quartermaster Ser- 
geant Prouty (acting quartermaster) and Sei'geants Robinson, Taft, Allen 
Luther, Douglass, Johnson, Angell, and Williams (acting lieutenants) 
have performed the duties of commissioned officers since Sept. 1, 1862, 
the same necessitating increased exijense. It would be but an act of jus- 
tice to date their commissions back to that time. 

I remain, most respectfully. 

Your obedient servant, 

Job Arnold, 

Lieut.-Col. bth Eegt., B. I. V 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AUTILLEUY, 



367 



List of OflBcers appointed to the Fifth Rhode Island Volun- 
teers by Governor Sprague, pursuant to recom- 
mendations by Colonel Sisson and others. 



State of Rhode Island, Executive Department, 

Providence, Feb. 14, 1863. 
General : 

I have this day appointed the followin<f officers in the Fiftli Regiment 
Rhode Island Volunteers : 

William W. Prouty, Qiiai'termaster (1st Lieut.) 
Captains : 



James M. Gregg, . 




Company 


A. 


William W. Douglas, 




n 


C. 


James Moian, 




" 


D. 


George G. Hopkins, 




" 


E. 


William R. Landers, 




(1 


F. 


John H. Robinson, 




u 


G. 


Henry B. Landers, 




n 


H. 


First Lieutenants: 








Dutee Johnson, 




Company 


A. 


Thomas Allen, 




" 


B. 


Walter H. Luther, 




a 


D. 


Joseph Mclntyre, . 




" 


F. 


Henry P. Williams, 




" 


G. 


Edward F. Angell, 




(( 


H., 


Charles Taft, 




a 


I. 


Second Lieutenants : 








Christopher T. Pierce, 




Company C. 


Charles E. Douglass, 


Company K. 


a 


F. 


Charles F. Gladding, 


• • • 


First Lieutenant. 


Charles E. Beers, 




Second 






Respectfully you 


rs. 








Wm. Sprague. 



Gen. Edward C. Mauran, 

Adjutant-General lihode Island. 



368 HISTORY OF THE 



Order of the War Department Authorizing the Governor of 

Rhode Island to Change the 5th Regiment of Rhode 

Island Volunteers, Infantry, to a Regiment 

of Heavy Artillery, and Complete the 

Organization of the Same. 



War Department, Adjutant General's Office, 

Washington, D. C, May 27, 1863. 

His Excellency the Governor of Rhode Island, Providence, Rhode Island. 

Sir : Authority is hereby given by the Secretary of War to change the 
.oth Regiment, Rhode Island Infantry, now on duty in the Department of 
North Carolina, to one of Heavy Artillery, and you are authorized to in- 
crease it to the maximum of twelve companies, the additional companies 
to be recruited for three years or the war. 

This authority is given under the following conditions: 

1st. Xo officers of the present force of the 5tli Regiment are to b3 de- 
tached therefrom for recruiting jiurposes. 

2d. The present companies of the regiment are to be filled to the 
maximum enlisted before the recruiting of the new companies is com- 
menced. The present companies being full, the new companies will be 
recruited successively, that is, the Ih-st will be completed before the sec- 
ond is commenced. 

3d. The extra commissioned officers for companies will not be allowed 
till the respective companies are full to the maximum. 

As to the additional field officers, a second major will be received when 
there are eight maximum companies complete. 

The organization of the regiment and companies must conform to the 
requirements of General Orders, Xo. 110, current series, from this office. 

All musters will be made in accordance with the established regula- 
tions govei-ning the subject. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

Thomas M. Vincent, ^ 

Assistant Adjutant-General. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLEUY. 369 



The Address of Chaplain H. S. White, as representative of 
the Forty-fourth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer 
Militia, when he delivered the Flag- presented by that 
Reg-iment to the Fifth Regiment Rhode Island Heavy 
Artillery, at New Berne, N. C, August 3, 1863. 



Lieutenant-Colonel Tew and Fellow-Soldiers of the Fii-tii 
Rhode Island: 

Among the numerous and vahiable donations that I bring you from 
friends at the North, there is none that will be looked upon with such 
pride and gratitude as these elegant colors. 

Some time since you were promised a gift from the Forty-fourlh 
Massachusetts regiment as a memento of gratitude for your gallant and 
daring effort to heli) rescue them, with the noble Foster and others, 
from a protracted and formidable siege at Washington, X. C, in April 
last. Our effort to reach and aid them was crowned with conii)lete suc- 
cess. . Instead of our going south by the way of Richmond, with them, 
as many feared would be the case, they have gone with the triumph of a 
noble service to join their fellow-citizens, their families, and the loved 
ones at home. It was my good fortune to be in Boston on the day of 
their arrival. That staid and noble city was moved with enthusiasm to 
greet the returning heroes. The magnificent Common Avas crowded 
with the good and beautiful of that wealthy metropolis. More could not 
have been done to express a people's pride and joy. On that day our 
own commander, Colonel Sisson, rode side by side with Colonel Lee, and 
for his connectioix. with a portion of the history of the 44th Regiment, re- 
ceived most flattering attentions. The name of the gallant Fifth and'its 
noble officers and men, I am proud to tell you, has gone not only to Rhode 
Island, but throughout New England, and I may say, throughout the 
whole North. Everywhere I received most courteous attention because 
of my connection with you and your service. 

Colonel Lee, that gentleman and soldier, placed these colors in my 
hands, and desired me in behalf of himself and the officers of the Forty- 
fourth, to present them to you. He spoke especially of Lieutenant-Col- 
onel Tew and Major Jameson, and wished me to express to them liis 
personal regards. To the officers and men I am instructed to present 
the same sympathy and esteem. This elegant banner, the fruit of your 
bravery and heroism, shall be a sacred property. We will bear it to new 
fields of victory, and defend it and the noble interest it represents witlx 
24 



370 HISTORY OF THE 

all that is sacred and valuable in a soldier. Does it seem a pleasant 
tiling to unite with such a service and such a gift the regiments of sister 
states ? When this great struggle is over (and over it will be presently, 
and victory will perch on the noble banner of the glorious free north), 
1 doubt not the several states whose regiments have fought side bj'' side, 
will more than ever be united in the bonds of national unity. In the 
memories that are a golden legacy they are one. In the tender ties of 
memory and affection they are one. The common heritage of the slain, 
whose blood was shed in a common cause, is a mutual legacy, and to-day 
Boston and Providence, Massachusetts and Rhode Island clasp hands 
together. 

The effect of this gift shall not be temporary. The immediate actors 
in this scene shall go to join the ranks of a higher life, and a better service, 
but the children of coming time, who shall spell their names as we write 
ours, shall, in the history of this struggle, read the record of our manly 
service, and be inspired to defend what cost us so much of privation 
and trial. Colonel Tew, and your patriot band, — in behalf of the gallant 
Colonel Lee and his noble associates, I bid you take this standard, and 
as you look upon it remember the duties of the future as interi^reted by 
the history of the past. 



Response of Lieutenant-Colonel Tew. 



Chaplain: In the absence of Colonel Sisson it becomes my duty to 
receive from your hands this beautiful flag. I would rather it had fallen 
to one better fitted to respond to the presentation of such a beautiful 
gift ; but we are taught as good soldiers to shrink from no duty or 
responsibility. I feel proud to receive it from your hands. In doing so 
I cannot let this opportunity pass without extending through you to Col- 
onel Lee and his officers, and also to the soldiers of the 44th Regi- 
ment, the sincere thanks of the Fifth Rhode Island. There is not a sol- 
dier in this command, but with a soldier's pride, joins me in these emo- 
tions of gratitude which we all cherish towards those who this day 
honor us with such a beautiful gift. For the last nine months they 
have been connected with us by the ties of the strongest affection. They 
have fought with us side by side, they shared with us the toils of a 
soldier's life, and in camp when the excitement of battle and the 
fatigues of the march were over, they would have us join their amuse" 
ments and share their pleasures. 

This flag bears on one side an inscription which will ever be fresh in my 
memory,— Washington, April, 1863; — also " Our country — Honor the 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HUAVr AKTII.I.r.RV. 371 

Bond of Union," and the " 44tli Mass. Vols, to 5th E. 1. Vols," all taste- 
fully arranged, encircling the coat of arms of the 44th Regiment. 

On the opposite side is the coat of arms of our own Rhode Island, 
which, with her sister state is ever foremost in giving her sons and 
treasure to uphold and perpetuate our glorious union. Side by side 
their noble sons have fought and died, and their precious blood has min- 
gled together on many a well fought lield. 

Bound together as we are by geographical lines, and alike cherishing the 
principles of liberty and freedom Avhich our fathers have left us, that " all 
men are born free and equal," let us perpetuate this noble heritage, 
promising that wherever our army shall march no blighting spot of 
slavery shall be left. 

That circle of thirty-five stars reminds us that our glorious Union is 
still unbroken, and our National arms will still guard and defend this 
precious constitution through all the years of coming time, and, as the 
nations of the earth look upon us, they shall know tjhat neither foreign 
nor domestic foes shall overthrow what our fathers have founded. 

When you convey to Colonel Lee a report of your doings, say to him 
from me that the Fifth can appreciate with a soldier's pride this beautiful 
gift, and that it will be held sacred by us, and as we look upon its silken 
folds, we shall remember the donors with that affection which noble 
deeds calls forth. Say to him that we will ever guard and defend it, and 
wherever it is borne by us, we will carry with it those noble i^rinciples 
of freedom and liberty. 

The soldiers of the 44tli have done the work which was given them to 
do, and have done it well. They have now gone to receive those rewards 
which kind friends and a generous state have in store for them. The 
names of Lee, Cabot, Dabney, and Hinckley, will be among the dearest 
recollections of the past, and if in tlie fortunes of war, or the vicissitudes 
of life we should be permitted to meet on earth, we will, with pleasure, 
renew the golden associations of the past, and rehearse the dangers and 
incidents of our brilliant campaign. 

Soldiers of the Fifth Rhode Island Regiment, I place this memento of 
your brave and heroic acliievements in the hands of those who have .so 
richly earned it. You will be proud to look upon it, and in doing so, the 
night which bears date upon its folds. Yes, it was no common bravery 
that carried you through the storms of lead and iron to the relief of the 
brave Foster and his heroic garrison. 

It will be a proud date for you t« remember, and as you receive it into 
your keeping, I need not tell you to defend it. I know your past history 
well. Stand by it as you have your own war-worn flag. 

And now, remembering the past, let us anew pledge ourselves to our 
country, and the principles on which it is founded; and whether in camp 
or field, let us so govern ourselves that no one shall be ashamed to say 
that he was a member of the " Gallant Fifth." 



372 HISTORY OF THK 

Statement of Chaplain H. S. "White of Amount of Money- 
received from the citizens of Rhode Island for the bene- 
fit of the Fifth Rhode Island Regiment and Battery F, 
First Rhode Island Light Artillery, and of the expenditure 
of the same. 



Neav Berne, N. C, August 25, 18G3. 
To the Editor of the Journal : 

Having at a former time reported the amount of money received by me 
in Rhode Island for the Fifth Regiment and Battery F, namely, $1,590.55, 
and also the amount expended for various stores namely, $935.05, leaving 
a balance of $001.50 in my hands with which to transjDort my cargo to 
New Berne, I now beg leave to rei)ort the conclusions of my labors as 
follows : 

The government seized for its own use the schooner I had chartered, 
causing me considerable exjiense and delay, and, as a compensation, 
allowed me to take my goods on a government boat, and paying all 
expenses for steam tug for moving boat, unloading, loading, board etc. 
This left several hundred dollars in my hands, which was spent in 
increasing the variety and quantity of stores for the Regiment. 

While in Boston I received some fine gifts for the Fifth, the chief of 
which was a standard, costing between three and four hundred dollars. 
I have a small sum of money left in my hands which I propose to spend 
for reading matter when the fine supply which I now have shall have 
been exhausted. When I undertook my mission, I exi^ected to sail direct 
from Providence, and that four or five hundred dollars at most would cover 
my expenses. Had I known the obstacles that would arise before me and 
the large expense and anxiety attendant upon the undertaking, I doubt 
if I could have summoned courage to enter upon the work. Instead of 
twenty days it took me sixty-three. Instead of four or five hundred dol- 
lars, the expense increased to some sixteen hundred. At times ray 
anxiety became intense, but now that it is over I have again to thank 
the noble donors for theii abundant gifts. I have to thank my God for 
the good Providence that has attended my steps. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Tew in command on my return, and Colonel Sis- 
son since his arrival, have both been pleased to give me certificates of 
approval as to the manner and result of my mission. That of Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Tew was sent to Quarter-Master General Cooke, and if he is 
not too modest on account of some personal allusions in it to himself — 
for his noble aid so freely given me, he may publish it. That of Colonel 
Sisson I append to this report. 

H. S. White, 

Chaplain Fifth Beyiment J?. I. Artillery. 



FIFTH KHODE ISLAND llEWY AKTIM.KKY. 373 

Headquarters, otii REGiMiiXT, R. I. Artili^ery, 
New Berxe, N. C, August, 25, 1803. 
At the request of my Chaplaiu, Rev. II. S. White, I have examined tlie 
foregoing- accounts, both as to the amount of receipts and also the dispo- 
sition made of the money and stores, and am happy to state that I find 
them entirely correct. 

His selection of stores was most judicious, and the distribution made 
of them entirely satisfactory. 

Hexry T. Sissox, 

Colonel CommamJing Uh Eeglment R. I. ArtiUenj. 



Letters Recommending- the Promotion of Assistant Sm-' 

geon Albert Potter to be Surgeon of the Fifth 

Rhode Island Heavy Artillery- 



Headquarters 5th Reg't R. I. Artillery, 
New Berxe, X, C, Nov. 21, 1S03. 
Governor: 

I have the honor to report that by a recent order from the War Depart- 
ment Surgeon E. L. Warren has been honorably discharged from the 
service of the United States by reason of physical disability. 

I have the honor to recommend Assistant Surgeon Albert Potter for 
promotion to the position left vacant by the order above referred to. 

Doctor Potter has been with the regiment since its first organization, 
and has had medical charge of the regiment nearly all the time it has 
been in service. 'Previous to the appointment of Doctor Warren, Doctor 
Potter had entire medical charge. 

Doctor Potter has always performed his duties in a manner highly 
creditable to himself and to the regiment. I have always found him 
prompt, faithful and ef3ficient. 

Enclosed please find a recommendation from Doctor Hand, Medical 
Director for this Post. 

The promotion of Doctor Potter will alike be exceedingly gratifying 
to myself, the officers of my regiment and also to the medical faculty 
of this department, who repose the greatest confidence in his abilities. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Hexry T. Sissox, 
Colonel CouiiVij Wi lieift ]!. I. A. 



374 history of the 

His Excellency James Y. Smith, Goverxok of the State op 
Ehode Island. 



[Enclosure.] 



Medical Director's Office, 

New Berne, IST. C, Nov. IS, 1863. 

Sir : I have the honor of recommending for the position of surgeon 
in the 5th R. I. H. A., Assistant Surgeon Albert Potter, of that regiment. 
For the past three months he has had entire charge of the regiment, the 
surgeon being sick, and he has ably and faithfully performed his duties. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

D. W. Hand, Suryeon and Medical Director. 
To His Excellency James Y. Smith, Governor, Ehode Island, 



Report of Colonel Sisson regarding number of men in his 

regiment, the number who are qualified to re-enlist, 

and the number who have re-enlisted, etc. 



Headquarters otii Regiment R. I. Artillery, 
New Berne, N. C, May, 19, 1SG4. 
General: 

I have the honor to submit the following pertaining to my com- 
mand. 

The total number of enlisted men in the Fifth Regiment is. .. . 053 
The number entitled to re-enlist by G. O. No. 191, War Dept. Cur- 
rent series, is 1S7 

The number tliat has re-enlisted as veteran volunteers is 115 

The veterans of my regiment are now awaiting their furloughs, part 
of the terms of their re-enlistment — from the Commanding General of 
the District of North Carolina. 

I am sir, with great respect. 

Your obedient servant, 

Henry T. Sisson, 
Colonel Commanding ijth Rer/iment, R. I. Artillery. 
Brig. Gen. E. C. Mauran, 

Adft Gen. State of Rhode Island. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTIKLEHY. 



Letter Recommending- the Promotion of Second Lieutenant 

Christopher W. Rowland and Sergeant-Major 

Joshua C. Drown, Jr., for Promotion. 



Gen^eral : 



Headquarters 5th Reg't R. I. Artillery. 
NE^v Berne, X. C, Nov. 9, 18G4. 



I have the honor to recommeiid that Second Lieutenant Christopher 
W. Rowland, of the .5th Reg't R. I. Artillery, be promoted to First Lieu- 
tenant to fill the vacancy caused by the deatli of First Lieutenant 
George F. Turner. I would respectfully ask that his conimission date 
from October d, 1804, when the vacancy occurred, and since which lie 
has commanded Company E. Lieutenant Howland is an intelligent and 
capable young officer. From the beginning his connection witli the ser- 
vice has been of a character liighly honorable to him. Some two years 
ago he was promoted for bravery from a private to second lieutenant, 
and was transferred from the 12th R. I. V. to tlie Fiftii. He has always 
performed his duties with this regiment with much ability and prompt- 
ness. Lieutenant Howland belongs in the town of East Greenwich. 

Should His Excellency see fit to promote Lieutenant Howland I re- 
spectfully suggest that Sergeant-Major Joshua C. Drown, Jr.. be appointed 
a second lieutenant, to fill the vacancy which would exist. Sergeant- 
Major Drown came out with the battalion in December, 1861, and has 
served since that time as private, corporal, sergeant, and in his present 
position. He is a young man of intelligence and of good character, 
and is qualified to fill the position of second lieutenant in the service by 
the experience which he has had the last three years. 

I am, sir, very respectfully. 

Your obedient servant, 

Geo. W. Tew, 
Lieut.-Col. ComiVfj bth Be'ft R. I. Vols. 

Brig. Gen. E. C. Mauran, 

Adjutant-General State of Ehode Island. 



376 HISTORY OF THE 

[Endorsements.] 



Adjutant-General's Office, 

Providence, Xov. 16, 180 i. 

Eespectfully referred to His Excellency the Governor of Rhode 

Island. 

E. C. Mauran, Adjt.- General. 



State of Rhode Island, Executive Department, 

Providence, Dec. 5, 1864. 
Approved and respectfully returned. 

By order of the Commander-in-Chief, 

Charles E. Bailey, Colonel and Aide-de-Cump. 



July 5, 1865. Colonel Bailey notifies Adjutant-General Mauran that 
His Excellency has appointed Captain John Aigan to be Major for gal- 
lant service during the war, and directs him to report to Colonel Tew, 
and that he has appointed Major 1. M. Potter to be Lieutenant-Colonel, 
and to report to Colonel Tew. 



July n, 186.J. Colonel Bailey notifies Adjutant-General Mauran that 
His Excellency has appointed Quartermaster C. F. Gladding Captain, to 
date June 20, 1805. 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 



377 



List of Rhode Island Soldiers Buried in the National Cem- 
etery, at New Berne, N. C. Collected by Dr. Albert 
Potter, late Surgeon of the Fifth Rhode Island Heavy 
Artillery, May, 1884. 



1. 


J. M. Harrington, 


25. 


Emery White, 


2. 


Jonathan Card, 


26. 


Corp'l W. W. Paul. 


3. 


W. S. Hopkins, 


27. 


Jno. Brown, 


4. 


Serg't L. Y. Ludwig, 


28. 


J. W. Miller, 


5. 


J. W. Chase, 


29. 


F. E. Chase, 


6. 


Corp'l W. S. Denham, 


30. 


Corp'l J. M. Gallagher 


7. 


G. H. Briggs, Jr., 


31. 


Jno. Vallet, 


S. 


D. A. Boss, 


32. 


Buchau Wilson, 


9. 


Patrick Rouk, 


33. 


Jno. Williams, 


10. 


Corp'l S. H. Grim wood, 


34. 


Samuel Smith. 


11. 


J. E. Bartlett, 


35. 


Michael Halt, 


12. 


David Campbell, 


36. 


Thomas Cooney, 


13. 


Wm. Osgood, 


37. 


Thaddeus Gardner. 


14. 


D. H. Cameron, 


38. 


Charles Copeland, 


15. 


Silas Frisby, 


39. 


Thomas Wright, 


10. 


Jno. Wood, 


40. 


John McComb, 


17. 


James Connor, 


41. 


B. D. Liscomb, 


18 


Daniel Ivars, 


42. 


Trustw^orthy Norris, 


19. 


Corp'l B. F. Martingale, 


43. 


Robert Frazier, 


20. 


G. B. Deane, 


44. 


W. J. Lawton, 


21. 


Donald McDonald, 


45. 


J. E. Peck, 


22. 


Dennis Meagher, 


46. 


Charles Clark, 


23. 


Jno. Murphy, 


47. 


Charles Stewart. 


24. 


Jonathan Xye, 








And twenty-eight 


"Unknown." 



ERRATA. 



On page 256, S. B. Burbank should read S. W. Burbank. 

On pages 82 and 256, John E. Robinson should read John H. Robinson. 

On page 95, Edwin H. Gould should read Edwin A. Gould. 

On pages 199 andI207, Thomas P. Mahar should read Thomas F. Maher. 



INDEX, 



A Company, 5. 30, 40. 52, 80, 82, 107, 108, 127, 

128, 130, 179, ]89, 195, 198, 199, 205, 207, 208, 

217, 222, 224, 228, 230, 232, 242, 243, 244, 254, 

256, 352, 360, 363, 367. 
Aigan, .loliii, Jtajor, 131, 207, 208. 209, 210, 

211, 212, 213, 214, 216, 217, 218,219, 220, 222, 

226, 227, 256, 376. 
Allen, Thoniiis, Lieut., 127. 1-30, 152, .347, .348, 

366, 367. 
Amory, Thomas J. C, Col., 97, 137, 357, .358, 

359. 
Anderson, Hirain, Jr., Col., 134. 
Andrew.s, Lieut., 21, 22. 
Angell, Edward F., Capt., 87, 128, 179, 184, 

240, 254. 258, 360, 361. 366, 367. 
Arnold, .Fob, Col., 6, 23, 52,81, 82,90,91, 100, 

103, 116, 120, 121, 124, 126, 129, 136, 1.38, 139, 

140, 141, 142, 143, 146, 344, 315, 365, 366. 
Arnold, Richard. Gen., 131. 
Arnold, Stephen G., 138. 
Ashby, George E., Lieut., 147. 
Avery, William, Capt., 96. 

B Company, 5, .30, 52. 73, 80, 82, V?.5, 127, 128, 
130, 179, 189, 199, 205, 256. 353, .367. 

Babbitt, .James B., Lieut., 200. 

Bailey, Charles E , Col., 376. 

Balch, Joseph P., Gen , 2, 3, 49. 

Ballou, James, 63. 

Barnes, Samuel, 70. 

Barney, C. Henrv, Lient., 198. 

Bateman, Henry' lU, J>ieut., 95, 254, 256, .361. 

Battles and sieges: Koanoke Island, 21; 
New Berne. 30; siege of Fort Macon, 50; 
Kawle's Mill, 90; Kinston, 101; White- 
hall, 100; GokUboro, lii9; first rebel at- 
tack on New Berne, 133; siege of Little 
Washington, 114; second attack on New 
Berne, 187. 

Battery F, First R. I. LiglU Artillery, 9, 
86. 8S. 90, 91, 97, 100, 102, 103, 106, 109, 111, 
116, 120,125, 133, 136, 140, 142, 147, 171, 174, 
180, 182, 372. 

Beers, Charles E. Lieut., 5, 124, 127, 131, 174, 
367. 

Behm, Charles, F. W., Capt., 148. 

Belger, James, Capt., 9, 86, 88, 90, 91, 97, 
100, 102, 103. 106, 109, 111, 116, 120, 125, 133, 
1.36, 140, 142, 147, Kl, 174, 180, 182, .372. 

Blandiiig, Christopher B., 3. 

Bowen, Lewis H., Capt., 254. 

Brady, .James, 107. 

Branch, S. O'B., Gen., 31, 43, 59. 

Brownell, Robert, Sergt., 46. 

Burbauk, Samuel W., Lieut., 256. 



Burdon, Levi L., Lieut., 179, 358, 359. 
Burlingame, John K.. Hospital Steward, 107, 

137, 183, 200, 235, 256. 
Burnside, Ambrose E., Gen., 1, 6, 7, 14, 16, 

19, 20, 21, 2.5, 29, 31, 34, 38, 47, 54, 55, 63, 

65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, "3, 74, 85, 122, 143, 

175, 176,254, 259, :{43. 
Butler, Benjamin F., Gen., 182, 183, 202. 

C Company, 5, .30, 52, 73, 80, 107, 108, 125, 127, 
128, 131, 136, 159, 161, 165,179, 189, 199,200, 
203, 204, 207, 234, 256, 349, 361, 367. 

Cameron, Allen F., Lieut , 199. 

Chapman, Charles H., Capt., 4, 49, 53, 73. 

Chase, Charles F.,226. 

Chenery, William H., Lieut., 177, 198, 199. 

Clark, Peleg, Lieut., 256. 

Clark, William S.. Lieut.-Col.. 35, 36, 43. 

Conger, George W., Sergt., 140, 348. 

Connecticut troops mentioned : 
Eighth, Infantry, 10, 34, 30, :59, 41, 42, 59, 

64, 117. 
Tenth, Infantry, 10, 86, 88, 98, 100, 102, 115, 

116, 125. 
Eleventh, Infantry, 10, 34, .35. 

Crawford, Isaiah, 201. 

CroUoy, James D., Lieut., 200. 

D Companv, 5, .30, 39, 52, 63, 75, SO, 82, 106, 

r.'7, 128, 131, 160, 179, 183, 189, 194, 199, 202, 

203, '.'32, 211, 242, 256, 319, 353, 354, 301, 362, 

3«7. 
Darling, Mo.<es O., Lieut., 256. 
Davis, I^eaiidei', Lieut., 131. 
Dean, George B., 70. 
De.Meulen, Kmelius, Capt., 125, 179, 189, 194, 

232, 256. 361, .362. 
Douglas, William W., Capt., 5, 26, 33, 65, 75, 

81,82, 127, 131, 1.36, 142, 149. 150, 153, 159, 

161, 203, 217, 345, 347, 348, 3.58, 3()5, 367. 
Dougl.ass, Cliarles E., Lieut., 101, 128, 131, 

247, 359, 3(:i), .367. 
Dove, Daniel, Sergt., 185. 
Drown, Beniamin F., Corp., 107, 108, 129, 

207. 
Drown, Joshua C. Sr., 108. 
Drown, Joshua C, Jr., Sergt.-llnjor, 108, 

375. 
Dunlap, George, Sergt., 201. 
Durfee, William H.. Lieut., 130, 179,208,210, 

211,214, 219,222, 226. 

E Companv, 6, 21, 22, 30, 52, 73, 82, 109, 127, 
128, 131, 160, 179, 189, 200, 201, 203, 204, 250, 
349, .354, 303, 307. 



380 



HISTORY OF THK 



Eaton, Francis, Corp., 257. 
Eddy, James M., Capt., 3, 55, 80. 
Eighth Connecticut Infantry, 10, 34, 36, 39, 
il, iZ, 59, 6i, 117. 

F Company, 75, 80, 85, 98. 107, 128, 131, 148, 
179, 189, 195, 199, 200, 207, 256, 354, 361, 367. 

Fellows, J. P., Lieut. -Col., 189. 

Fish, Eugene, 175. 

Flusser, Lieut. -Commander, 201. 

Ford, George \V., .Sergt., 29, 177. 

Fort Alacon, siege of, 50. 

Forty-Fourtli aiassachusetts Infantry, 86, 
87,88,89, 100, 115, 144. 149, 152, 156, 157, 
158, 162, 163, 164, 165, 171, 176, 178,350, 351, 
369, 370, 371. 

Foster, John G., Gen., 10, 22, 24, 25, .34, .35, 
36, 39, 50. 64, 70, 72, 76, 79, 80, 81. 82, 83, 84, 
88. 90, 93, 97, 99, 10.', 103, 110, 112, 114, 116, 
122, 125. 132, 133, 1.34, 137, 143, 144, 145, 146, 
147, 148, 149, 158, 161, 162, 164, 167, 168, 170, 
179, 187, 239. 343, 340, .349, 352, 365. 

Fourth Rhode Island Infantry, 3, 9, .32, 34, 
36, 37, 39, 42, 59, 60, 66, 71, 74, 75, 117, 118. 

G Company. 98. 107, 127, 128, 131, 160, 164, 

179, 189, 256. 349. 354, 360, :^07. 
Gardner, Charles T., Asst.-Adjt.-Gen., 43. 
Garleman, .lohn li., Lieut., 2.56. 
Gaskill, Robert S., Lieut., 198, 199. 
Gifford, Fred S., Lieut.. 350, 351. 
Gladding, ('.. Fniiik. Capt., 5. 128, 131, 148, 

179, 189, 195, 198, 200, 235, 244, 254,256,360, 

376. 
Gladding, Munro II., Lieut., 4, 97, 120, 121, 

1.30. 
Goldsboro, battle of, 109. 
Goodwin, Levi 1'., Lieut., 5, SO. 
Goss, William, Lieut., 256. 
Gould, Edwin a .. i)5. 
Grant, George H., Capt., 5, 27, .39, 75, SO, 

127. 
Greene, Cliarles C, Lieut., 256, 361. 
Greene, .leronie B., Dr., Surgeon, 124, 180, 

184, 232, 241. 254, 256. 
Greene, Joseph, Capt.. 66. 67. 
Gregg, James, Capt., 71, 73, 82, 127, 130, 1.36, 

365, 367, 
Grimwood, Samuel, Corporal, 70. 

H Company. 121, 128, 131, 160, 162, 179, 189, 

193, 199, 207. 2.5(i, 349, 354, 358, 360, 361,. 367. 
Hall. Benjamin L., Capt., 73, 75, 82, 124, 128, 

162, 365. 
Hall, Edward, Rev., 149, 165. 
Hall, Lewis T., Lieut., 256. 
Hall, William W., Lieut., 5. 33, 80. 
Harland, Edward, Gen., 357, 358. 
Hatlinger, Joseph J., Lieut., 4, 150, 198, 

348. 
Haves, Patrick, Lieut., 256, .361, .362. 
Ilcckman, Charles, (Jen., 349. 
Hepburn. Captain, 11. 12, 16. 
Hill. D. H.. Gen., 132, 133, 134, 144, 145. 
Hisco.x, Sylvester B., 207, 217, 221, 
Hoffman, Southard, Lt.-Col., 116, 148, 161, 

162, 346. 
Hopkins, George G. Capt., 5, 73, 82, 128, 

131, 179, 189, 203, 247. 356, 359, 365, .367. 
Horton, James B., Sergt., 245. 
Howland, Christoplier W., Lieut., 131, 145, 

;250, iiSl, 254, 256, 357, .303, 375. 



Ho.vie, George W., 191. 
Hunt, Josiah D , Lieut., 128. 

I Company, 128, 160, 162, 179. 189, 202, 203, 
207, 232, 241, 242, 256, 349, 352, 354, 355, 367. 

Jameson, Thorndike C, Major, 139. 150, 151, 
152, 170, 179, 197, 232, 347, 348, 369. 

Jones, J. Richter, Col., 97, 135, 136. 

Jetfers, Captain, 26. 

Johnson. Dutee. Jr., Lieut., 127, 1.30. 149, 
154, 157, 18.^, 190, 195. 207, 247, .347,366,367. 

Johnson, William H., Sergt., 179. 

K Company, 127, 131, 179, 189, 232, 256, 355, 

361. 
King, W. H , Lieut., 152. 
Kinston, battle of, 101. 

Lable, Richard, Sergt., 207. 

Landers, Henry B., Capt.. 73, 82, 128. 131, 

1.52, 179, 189, 193, 247, 347, 348, 358, 359, 360, 

365, .367. 
1 anders, Jolin B., Lieut, 233, 235, 244, 254, 

256. 361. 
Landers. William R., Capt., 128, 131, 256, 

357, 361,363,367. 
Lawton, Charles E., Lieut., 184, 2.35, 244, 

247,251. 
Leavitt, Herbert D., Lieut., 169, 198, 199. 
Leo, Francis L , Col., 11.1, 162, 163, 171, 17S. 

369, 370. 371. 
Leggett. Robert, Lieut.-Col., 102, 115. 
Little Wasliington, siege of, 144. 
Livingstone, Oscar R., Capt., 199. 
Longstreet, James, Gen., 133, 134. 
Ludwig, Lorenzo. Sergt.. 70. 
Lutlier. Walter H., Capt.. 127, 131, 241, 254, 

256, 362, 366, 367. 
Lydig, Philip M., Jr., Major, 42. 

^raher, Thomas F., Lieut., 199, 207. 
Mallahan.Tlionns, 159. 
Massachusetts troops mentioned : 

Fifth, InfiuUrv. 133. 136. 

Seventeenth, Infantry, 189, 364. 

Twenty-tirst, Infantry, 10. 35, 36, 38, 39, 42. 

Twenty. third. Infantry, 10. 

Twentv-fourth, Infantry, 10, 31, 77, 79, 86, 
88, 100, 115, 116, 125. 

Twenty-tifth, Infantry, 10, 1.33, 136, .356. 

Twenty-seventli, Infantry, 10, 144, 162, 166. 

F"oity-third. Iiitantry. 107. 

Forty-fourth, Infiintrv. 86, 87. 88, SO, 100, 
115, 144, 149, 152, 156, 157, 158, 162,163, 
164,165, 171, 176, 178, 350. .351, 369, 370, 
371. 

Forty-finii, Infantry, 147. 

Second, Heavy Artillery, 189, 194, 196,2.32, 
242. 357. 
Mauran, E. C, Adjutant-General, 2, 73, 74, 

SI, 83, 85, 348, 350, 367, .375, 376. 
McCabe, Peter, 107. 

JlcClellan, George G., Gen,, 2, 72, 74, 272. 
McConville. Henry. Lieut.. 356. 
McKwan, James. Lieut., 256. 
Mclnt\ re, James, 52. 
Mclntyre, Joseph, Lieut., 131, 367. 
MciMahon, Thomas, 106. 
Melville, Peter, 226. 



FIFTH KHODE ISLAND HEAVY AKTII.LEUY. 



381 



Moran, James, Capt., 5, 25, 40. 62, 03, 82, 127, 
131, 130, 164, 179, 181, ISy, 194, 20'A203, 232. 
24-2, 305, 307. 

Jlonis, Captain, 64, 73. 

Motl, William B., Sergt., 348. 

Xagle, Henry M., Gen., 101, 349. 
New Berne, battle of, 30. 
New Berne, first rebel attack on, 133; sec- 
ond attack, 1S7. 
New Hampshire troops mentioned : 

.Sixth, Infantry, 10. 
New Jersey troops, mentioned : 

Ninth, 10,57, 97. 
New York troops mentioned : 

Ninth, Infantry, (Hawkins' Zouaves), 21. 

Fifty-first, Infantry, 10. 

Fifty-third, Infantry, 10. 

Eighty-tiftli, Infantry, 242. 

F:ighty-ninth, Infantry, 10. 

Ninety-second, Infantry, 134. 

Ninety-ninth, Infantry, 357. 

One Hundred and Thirty-second, Infantry, 
187, 188. 18i), 233. 

Tliird, Artillery, .59, 89, 100, 125, 144, 102, 
236. 

Tliird, Cavalry, 144, .340. 

Twelfth. Cavalry, 188, 189, 190. 
North Carolina troops mentioned : 

First, Infantry, ;Union), 144, 1.52, 102,202. 

f>econd, Infantrv, (Colored), 198. 

Third, Infantry.' (Colored), 200. 

First, Heavy Artillery, (Colored), 200. 
Noj-es, McWalter B., Kev., Chaplain, 4, 80. 

Palmer, Innis N., Gen., 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 
158, 182, 188, 202, 206, 248, 346, 347, .355. .363, 
304. 
Parke, John G , Gen., 10, 11, 23, 25, .34, 35, 
48, 51, 52, 53, 57, 59, 03, 64, 65, 66, 67 68, 70, 
117. 
Pearce, C. T., Lieut., 303. 
Peck, Kdwin B., 17. 
Peck, John J., Geii., 179, 182, .355, .356. 
Pell, D. Archie, Col., 16, 26. 
Pennsylvania troops mentioned : 
Fifth-first, Infantry, 10. 
Fifty-eighth, Infantry, 97, 135, 136, 203, 

356. 
One Hundred and First, 242. 
One Hundred and Thiid, 241. 
Perrigo, Charles, Sergt., 32. 
Pettigrew, J. J., Gen., 132, 131. 
Pickett, J., Col., 356. 
I'ierce, Christopher T., Capt., 127, 254. 
Pierce, George H.. Capt., 125, 162, 179, 189, 

203, 207, 254, 256, .363. 
Pi.-rce, Henry K., Lieut., 5, .39, 43, 44, 45, 

47, 49. 
Potter, Albert, Dr., Surgeon, 4, 5, 17, 22, 24, 
47. 55, 56. 69, 92, 94, 96, 100, 107, 112, 120, 
180, 183, 197, 232, 235, 230, 241, 247, .373,377. 
Potter, Isaac M.. Col., 122, 125, 120, 152, 170, 
179, 189, 194, 205,206,254, 256, 847, 348, 360, 
370. 
Prince, Henrv, Gen., 133, 146. 
Pronty, William W., Lieut., 5, 109, 112, 120, 
128, 130, 174, 178, 184, 300, 367. 

Radakin, John, Lieut., 250. 
Ransom, Alfred, Capt., 147. 



Rawle's Mil], skirmisli at, 90. 
Reddington, .lohn, Lieut., 250. 
Uemington, Daniel S., Lieut., 5, 80. 
Reno, Jesse L., Gen., 10, 23, 24, 25, 34, .35, 

50, 70, 72. 
Rhode Island troops mentioned: 

Batterv F, First K. 1. L. Arty., 9, 86, 88, 
90,9i, 97, 100, 102, 103, 106, 109, 111, 116, 
120, 125, 133, 130, 140, 142, 147, 171, 174, 
ISO, 182, 372. 

First Rhode Island Detached Militia, In- 
fantry, 2, 117, 122, 127, 128, 143, 179. 

Second, Infantry, 118, 131, 139, 239, .342. 

Third, Heavy Artillery, 84, 118, 121, 122, 
125, 127, 131. 

Fourth, Infantry, 3, 9, 32, .34, 36, .37, 39 42, 
59,60,60,71,71,74,75,117.118 

Seventh, Infantry, 1.38, 139, 143, 344, 345. 

Tenth, Infantry, 179. 

Twelfth, Infantrv, 131. 
Rhodes. John H., 200. 
Richards, Samuel, .Sergt., 207. 
Kichmimd, Lewis, Gen., 25, 47, 08. 
Riggs, William J., Capt., 147. 
Roanoke I?land, battle of, 21. 
Robinson, John H., Capt., 82. 128, 131, 160, 

179, 189, 235, 244, 245, 256,360, 305, 300, 307. 
Rodman, Isaac P., Gen., 30, 71, 73, 118. 
Kowan, S. C, Commander, 30. 
Rvan, John, 17. 
Ryan, Thomas, 39, 43. 

Seymour, Henry, 217, 218. 

Shippey, Thomas, 107. 

Sherman, Amos B., Sergt., 60. 

Sisson, Henrv T., Col., si, 85, 97, 118, 121. 
122, 123, 126, 127, 129, 139, 146, 147, 148, 149, 
150, 151, 152, 1.55, 160, 161, 162. 103, 104, 166, 
167. 170, 171, 17», 179, 180, 183, 185,186. 1^9, 
194, 200, 202, 207, 208, 232, 239, 240, .348, 350, 
351, .3.53, 357, 358, 359, 304, 367, 369, 370, 372, 
373, 374. 

Sisson, Joseph P., Commissary Sergt., 197. 

Sisson, William, Jr., Lieut., h^. 

Smith, James Y., Gov., 178, 184, 259, .374. 

Snow, John E, Lieut., 5, 81, 82, 125, 365. 

Spinola, Francis B., Gen., 147. 

Spr.ague, William, Gov.. 2, 48, 49, 81, 83, 84, 
121, 126, 129, 1.30, 131, 143, 176, 341, 342, 366, 
367. 

Stanley, Henry M., 50. 

Steere, W. H. P. Col., 118. 

Stevenson, R. H., Major, 115. 

Stevenson, Thonnis G., Gen., 77, 79, 80, 81. 
82, 86, 88, 90, 100, 114, 110, 122,143, 170, 365. 

Sullivan, Cornelius, 107. 



Taft, Charles, Capt., 21, 22, 65, 66, 82, 
179 189, 202, 203, 232. 256, 342. 365. 366, 

Tansey, William F., Lieut., 199. 

Tenth' Connecticut Infantry, 10, 86, 88, 
100, 102, 115, 116, 125. 

Tew, George W., Col., 8.3, 84, 117, 118, 
121, 120, 129, 136, 138, 139, 142, 150, 152, 
161, 164, 169, 170, 171, 174, 177, 178, 179, 
235, 240, 24:i, 249, 254, 256, 347, .348, 349, 
.361, 302, 363, 369, 370, .372, .375, 376. 

Thompson, Robert, Lieut., 131. 

Turner, George F., Lieut., 78, 131, 2.36, 
238, 239, 240. 



128, 
367. 



119, 
160, 
207, 
360, 



382 



FIFTH RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY, 



Twenty-fourth Massacliusetts Infantrj', 10, 
31, 77, 79, 86, 88, 100, 115, 116, 125. 

Underwood, Benjamin F., Lieut., 251, 256, 

361, .362. 
United States (Regular) troops mentioned: 

First, (C), Artillery, 59. 

Viall, Charles, 22. 
Viall Nelson, Gen., 199. 

Warren, Epliraim L., Dr., Surgeon, 124, ISO, 

183, 373. 
AVessells, Henry W., Gen., 125, 201. .349. 
Wheaton, James M., Lieut., 6, 61, 62, 73, 82, 

161, 197, 247, 353, 365. 



Wheeler, Jonathan M., Capt., 5, 15, 55, SO, 

83,98, 118, 119, 121, 125. 
White, Henry S., Rev., Chaplain, 121, 124, 

129, 160, 164, 169, 176, 200. 207, 208, 215, 218, 

219,222, 242, 244. 247, 369, 372, 373. 
White, Moses, CoL, 58, 59, 65. 
Wliite, Robert H., Corpora), 230, 231. 
Whitehall, battle of, 106. 
Williams, Henry P., Lieut.. 91, 128, 131, 247, 

360, 306, 367. 
Wise, Henry A., Gen., 25, 26, 28. 
Wise, O. Jennings, 25. 
Woodbury, Augustus, Rev , 44, 51, 79, 344. 
Wright, Allen G., Capt., 5, .33, 125. 
Wright, John, Major, 4, 6. 7, 16, 23, 24, 26, 

.30, 41, 43, 48, 49, 54, ,55, 57, 60, 65, 66, 67, 75, 

80,82,83, .341,342,343. 



The End. 



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